Trojans Finish Fourth at Hoosier Collegiate Invitational

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Little Rock turned in a strong showing against a challenging field, finishing fourth at the Hoosier Collegiate Invitational at The Pfau Course.

The Trojans closed the 54-hole event at 37-over, posting rounds of 18-over, 5-over and 14-over while competing against a field loaded with Big Ten programs and nationally ranked teams. Kansas claimed the team title at 20-over, followed by No. 13 Illinois (23-over) and Purdue (28-over).

Little Rock remained in contention throughout the week, using a strong second round to climb the leaderboard before holding its position in the final round.

Ed Featherstone led the Trojans once again, finishing tied for 12th at 5-over with rounds of 74-70-73, marking his seventh top-15 finish of the season. Elliott Simonsen added a tie for 20th at 9-over (74-72-73), while Mark Stockdale finished tied for 17th at 8-over (77-71-76).

Viggo Talasmaki placed 52nd at 16-over and Rhett South rounded out the lineup in 60th at 18-over.

"It was a really good fight out there this week," Little Rock head coach Austin Eoff said. "The Pfau was the most challenging golf course we have played all season, and then on top of that, some very difficult weather conditions the last two days made it even tougher."

Eoff pointed to the continued consistency at the top of the lineup and growth throughout the group as key takeaways from the week.

"Ed led the way once again for us for his seventh top-15 finish of the season," Eoff said. "It was great to see Elliott continue to play solid golf and Mark gain confidence from his performance this week as well."

Little Rock finished ahead of Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, Michigan, Toledo, Indiana, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois and Ball State.

"Our fourth-place finish was really a result of the fight to stay focused on the next shot," Eoff said. "It's a solid result against the bulk of the Big Ten as we head into the conference championship next week."

Competing against a field that featured multiple nationally ranked programs, the Trojans continued to build momentum as they prepare of the OVC Championships April 27-29 at West Lafayette, Ind.