Huskers Ready for Fighting Illini Collegiate

The Nebraska men’s golf team will travel to Urbana-Champaign, Ill. for the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate April 22-23 to wrap up the regular season.  

Hosted by the University of Illinois at the newly renovated Atkins Golf Club (Par 71, 7,538 Yards), the tournament will serve as a tune-up for several Big Ten teams before Big Ten Championships in Galloway, N.J. at the Galloway National Golf Club later this month.

No.3 Illinois comes in as the heavy favorite, along with No. 32 Northwestern. The Fighting Illini are led by Adrien Dumont de Chassart, the reigning Big Ten Golfer of the Year and the No. 6 ranked player nationally according to Golfstat.

Along with the Big Red and the two Illinois schools, Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State are the other Big Ten programs set to compete. Ball State, Eastern Michigan, and Loyola Marymount round out the nine-team field.

Nebraska has steadily improved their play this spring, which culminated in the best round in school history (274, -14) in the second round of the Tiger Collegiate in Columbia, Mo. April 10. Leading the charge for the Huskers was Gentry Scheve, who set new career-bests with a six-under 66 (-6) in his second round, a final tally of 208 (-8), and a final individual finish of 12th. The junior from Emporia, Kan. carries a 73.11 stroke average through nine rounds in 2022-23, also on pace for the best average of his career thus far. 

Will Marshall, who qualified in the No.1 spot in the Nebraska lineup for the fourth straight tournament, carries a 73.08 stroke average through 23 rounds in 2022-23. He has set multiple career-best marks this spring, including a new 54-hole best at the Tiger Collegiate (210, -6). He also golfed to a 67 (-5) at the Seahawk Intercollegiate March 27, and has finished inside the top-25 four times. 

Two more Huskers who set new career-bests at the Tiger Collegiate and will appear in the lineup this weekend are Reed Malleck (Jr., York, Neb.) and Davis Johnson (Fr., Chaska, Minn.). Malleck tied his career-low round of three-under 69, along with a his first career top-25 finish. His three-round aggregate of 211 (-5) also was a new low. 

Johnson will make his second straight lineup appearance after making his lineup debut in Missouri last week. He tied his career-low round of 71 (-1) and golfed to a final score of 218 (+2), also a high mark for the first year Husker. 

Grant Jabenis, another first year Husker, rounds out the Husker lineup this weekend in Illinois. He carries a stroke average of 74.06 in his first season with the Big Red, and tallied a career-best 2nd place finish at the Stampede at the Creek in Omaha, Neb. April 11, his second top-5 finish competing individually this spring.  

Evan McDermott (75.08) and Caleb Badura (75.16) will both be competing as individuals this weekend outside the Nebraska lineup. Badura, the fifth-year senior from Aurora, tied his career-low round last time out at the Tiger Collegiate (68), while McDermott finished tied for 13th with an aggregate score of 220 (+4) at the Stampede. 

For live updates throughout the tournament, make sure to follow on Twitter and Instagram at HuskersGolf. Live scoring for the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate can be found at Golfstat.com. 

Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate

Urbana-Champaign, Ill.

Atkins Golf Club

Par 71, 7,538 Yards

April 22-23, 2023

Nebraska Lineup

1. Will Marshall (Sr., Elburn, Ill.)

2. Gentry Scheve (Jr., Emporia, Kan.)

3. Reed Malleck (Jr., York, Neb.)

4. Davis Johnson (Fr., Chaska, Minn.)

5. Grant Jabenis (So., Omaha, Neb.)

IND. Evan McDermott (Fr., Spring Lake, Mich.)

IND. Caleb Badura (Sr., Aurora, Neb.)

Tournament Info – (All Times C.T.)

Friday, April 21 (Practice Round) 

Saturday, April 22 (Rounds 1&2) – 7:30 a.m. (CT) – Shotgun Start

Sunday, April 23 (Round 3) – 8:00 a.m.. (CT) – Shotgun Start

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

Tournament Field (9 Teams)

Ball State

Illinois

Indiana

Michigan

Michigan State

Nebraska

Northwestern

Eastern Michigan

Loyola Marymount

Huskers Fire Best Round in School History

After Nebraska fired the best round in school history on April 10, (274, -14), the Huskers concluded play at the Tiger Collegiate (Columbia, Mo.) with three-round tally of 844 (-20), their best mark of the season. This performance helped the Huskers earn a seventh place finish out of 14 teams.

Nebraska was led by Gentry Scheve (Jr., Emporia, Kan.) who set new career-bests in three categories. His six-under 66 in his second round was the best round by any Nebraska golfer this season and two strokes off the school record set by Brady Schnell on March 20, 2006. 

Overall, all five Huskers in the lineup set or tied their career-low rounds navigating the Club at Old Hawthorne.  Along with Scheve, Will Marshall (68), Caleb Badura (68), Reed Malleck (69), and Davis Johnson (71) all set or tied their previous career-best round. 

Marshall Model of Consistency

Will Marshall has provided a steady presence in the Husker lineup throughout the 2022-23 season. His stroke average of 73.08 through 23 rounds this spring is the best among Husker lineup regulars.

 

Along with his four top 25 finishes this season, he has set new career-bests in multiple categories. His five-under 67 in the third round of the Seahawk Intercollegiate on March 27 beat his previous best of 68 (-4), which he had done four times prior. He also set a new career-best 54-hole tally when he finished with a six-under 210 at the Tiger Collegiate on April 11. 

The senior from Elburn, Ill. has placed inside the top-50 in every tournament for the Big Red in the 2022-23 season and will make his fourth straight appearance atop the Husker lineup in Illinois. 

Crockett Sets Husker Record For Season Stroke Average

Harry Crockett (So., Oxted, England) transferred to Nebraska in the fall of 2022 and made an immediate impact on the Husker program. Crockett golfed to an exceptional 71.82 stroke average in 11 rounds, the best average in school history. 

His highlight of the season included two 67 (-5) performances, which he achieved in the final-round of the Purdue Fall Invitational Oct. 11 and White Sands Bahamas Invitational Oct. 30. He finished 3rd in Purdue, and nearly added another top-10 when he finished 11th in the Bahamas.