Florence, Indiana- For the second consecutive season the University of Findlay men's golf team is advancing to the medal match play portion of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Men's Golf Tournament. The Oilers, who concluded stroke play Tuesday, April 22, will advance as the first-seed thanks to rounds of 283 (-1), 302 (+18), and 283 (-1) for a 54-hole total of 868 (+16).
Sophomore Colin Schadek made program history by winning the school's first-ever G-MAC individual title. He secured the championship by one stroke after carding rounds of 72 (+1), 71 (E), and 70 (-1), finishing with an even-par 213—tied for the ninth-best 54-hole score in program history. Schadek's win is the first individual conference title by a male golfer since Kyle Weisenburger captured the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) crown in 2003.
Senior Tyler Vallee surged up the leaderboard, climbing ten spots after firing a tournament-best 65 (-6) in the third round. Paired with earlier rounds of 70 (-1) and 81 (+10), he finished with a 54-hole total of 216 (+3).
Junior Luke Metzger also secured a top-five finish with an eight-over-par total, recording rounds of 70 (-1), 79 (+8), and 72 (+1).
With their finishes, Schadek, Vallee, and Metzger earn all-conference honors.
The Oilers will now advance to the medal match play portion of the event. The new format, which debuted three years ago, will feature the Oilers of Findlay and the Panthers of Ohio Dominican. The teams will be matched up for medal match play, during which players from each of the two teams go head to head against each other. Each match is worth a point with the best of five claiming the tournament title.
Findlay will be defending their title which they won at the Pearl Club in Owensboro, Ky. on April 24, 2024.
The Oilers will tee off starting at 8:00am, tomorrow, Wednesday, April 23.
Quote from Head Coach Dominic Guarnieri
We earned the top seed by winning stroke play and now have the opportunity to defend our title tomorrow in medal match play.
I was really proud of how our guys responded today after a tough second round. I've emphasized mindset all season, and seeing Tyler bounce back from an 81 to shoot a 65 was incredible. That kind of resilience shows the strength of this team—it was a full-team effort over the first three rounds.
Our message going into tomorrow is simple: nothing changes. We focus on ourselves. If we trust in our abilities and stay committed, we'll be just fine.
As for Colin, being four over through his first nine holes and then battling back the way he did is a testament to his mental toughness. We had a quick talk on the fairway of hole 4 during the first round, and I reminded him to stay committed to his targets, stay patient, and, most importantly, believe in himself. He did exactly that.
