Huskers Look For Second Straight Tournament Title at Branson Creek Invitational

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Branson, Mo. - Nebraska looks to recapture the Branson Creek Invitational title that the 2004-05 squad snagged as the team heads to Branson, Mo. on April 3-4. The Huskers will be facing an 11-team field that includes ArkansasState, Creighton, Missouri State, Oral Roberts, St. Louis, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of NorthernIllinois and Western Illinois.

Four members of last year's squad will return to Branson, Mo. as the only missing member, sophomore Chris Bruening, is redshirting this season. The four returning members combined for four top-20 finishes and three top-10 finishes in last year's tournament and finished with a final team score of 878 (293-290-295).<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Junior Brady Schnell led the Huskers in last year's tournament, finishing with a final score of 216 (75-68-73) and placing second, and looks to headline the team again in what would be the first win of the spring and the second of the season, as the team captured the title in the Fairway Club Invitational on September 12-13.

 

Juniors Drew Reynolds (71-80-68) and Ryan Lenahan (72-69-78) tied for fifth with a final score of 219, while senior Judd Cornell rounded out the Huskers' scoring lineup with a 228 (76-73-79) and a tie for 17th.

 

Branson Creek Golf Course also marks a hot spot for the Huskers as both Reynolds and Lenahan shot their career and season-low rounds of  68 and 69, respectively, at last year's tournament.

 

NU Earns 2nd-place Finish at Ron Moore Invitational

Junior Brady Schnell’s first-round school-record score of 64 led the Huskers to a second-place finish in the 17-team field in the Ron Moore Invitational at the par-72, 7,015-yard Palm Valley Golf Course in Goodyear, Ariz.

 

The Huskers’ final team score of 837 (279-277-281) left them just one stroke shy of first place and marks a season low in team scoring.   

 

The team’s second-place finish was their third consecutive top-five finish this spring, as well as the seventh top-10 finish this season.

 

Schnell led the Husker squad by firing a school and career-record 64 on the opening 18 holes as he finished in second place in the tournament. Schnell finished with a final score of 203 (64-70-69), beating his previous career-low round by five strokes, when he finished with a 208 (73-65-70) at the Pioneer Golf Classic in 2005.

 

Schnell’s low round beat his own previous record of 65 when he shot seven-under par at the 2005 Pioneer Golf Classic. Two additional former Huskers boast rounds of 65, including Jamie Rogers at the 1998 NCAA Central Regional as well as the 1998 Ram Collegiate, and Knox Jones.

 

Junior Drew Reynolds was just one stroke behind Schnell, finishing with a 204 (70-68-66) for a third-place tie and also snagging a career-low with a 66 in the final 18 holes. Reynolds’ previous career low was a 68, shot at the Branson Creek Invitational in 2005.

 

Senior Judd Cornell snagged a tie for 22nd with a final total score of 214 (71-72-71), while junior Ty Capps was just two strokes behind with a 216 (74-67-75), placing him in a tie for 34th.

 

Capps’ second-round 67 is also a career-low at Nebraska, breaking his previous mark of 69 shot at the Sam Hall Invitational in the fall. His final score of 216 is also a Nebraska career low.

 

Junior Ryan Lenahan rounded out the Husker lineup with a 231 (75-79-77), finishing in 91st. Additionally, freshman Trent Price got his first spring action as he shot as an individual and finished with a 216 (69-77-70), placing him in a tie for 34th.

 

Denver’s James Love shot a tournament-low round of 63 to snag the top individual spot with a final score of 199 (69-63-67). Reynolds’ final score of 204 tied for third with both New Mexico’s Nick Geyer (66-66-72) and IowaState’s Joe Cermak (68-67-69).

Louisville boasted four individuals in the top-20 for the first place spot with a final team score of 836 (281-278-277).

 

Huskers in Sixth in Big 12 Conference Ratings

The Nebraska men’s golf team filled the sixth-ranked spot in the latest Big 12 Conference Ratings released March 26. The Huskers are also No. 56 in the nation through nine tournaments, 27 rounds, and one tournament title. The Huskers are also one of only two teams to have played in at least nine tournaments.

 

The average team score through one round is 291.63 while the team owns a low-round score of 277, good for a sixth-place tie in the conference in that category. Nebraska's sixth-place spot exemplifies the team's improvement in the competitive conference, which owns one team in the nation's top 10, two teams in the top 20, and four the top 30. Baylor heads the Big 12 rankings and owns a national ranking of No. 3, while OklahomaState is close behind for second in the conference with a national ranking of No. 17.

 

Missouri and Texas Tech are neck-in-neck for the No. 3 and 4 conference spot and are tied for No. 26 in the nation, while TexasA&MUniversity just edged out Nebraska for the No. 5 conference spot and a No. 36 national ranking.

 

Rounding out the Big 12 rankings are Kansas, nationally No.79, Kansas State, nationally No. 102, Texas, nationally No. 120, Colorado, nationally No. 124, Oklahoma, nationally No. 161 and IowaState, nationally No. 284.

 

Huskers Additionally Rank Sixth in District Rankings

The Huskers additionally filled the same spot in the latest district rankings relased March 30. The Huskers were also in sixth in the last district rankings released on January 17 prior to the start of the spring season, which began on Feb. 20-21 with the UTSA Intercollegiate.

 

The spot remains the highest place in head coach Bill Spangler's five-year tenure. With 22 teams in the district, the Huskers are in good position to be one of the seven who will advance to the NCAA regionals at the conclusion of the spring season on May 19-21.

 

"When we received this ranking before our season started it motivated us to think of how far this team had come to earn that ranking, and we have shown throughout the season that we belong in the top of the district," head coach Bill Spangler said.

 

OklahomaState headed the district rankings, followed by Tulsa, OklahomaMissouri and Colorado, who are tied for fourth.

 

Kansas State, Illinois State and Drake are also in a tie for seventh, while Kansas and WichitaState round out the district rankings with the 10th and 11th spot.

 

Junior Brady Schnell Snags New School Record at Ron Moore Invitational

Junior Brady Schnell looks to continue his hot streak at the Branson Creek Invitational as he is coming off a school, career and season-record low round of 64, which he shot in the first round of the Ron Moore Invitational on March 20-21 in Goodyear, Ariz.

 

Schnell's first round of 64 powered the team to a season-low team final score of 837 (279-277-281) and the lowest placement since the team captured the title at their own Fairway Club Invitational on Sept. 12-13.

 

Schnell finished with a final score of 203 (64-70-69), beating his previous career-low round by five strokes, when he finished with a 208 (73-65-70) at the Pioneer Golf Classic in 2005. Schnell’s low round beat his own previous record of 65, which he shot at the 2005 Pioneer Golf Classic and finished seven under par.

 

Two additional former Huskers boast rounds of 65, including Jamie Rogers at the 1998 NCAA Central Regional as well as the 1998 Ram Collegiate and Knox Jones.

 

Schnell, who led the team at different points throughout his sophomore year, traded spots with fellow junior Drew Reynolds throughout the fall season as the team anchor.

 

Schnell's fall performance included two top-10 finishes and three top-20 finishes in six tournaments, as he wrapped up the first half of the season with a 72.94 stroke average through 18 rounds.

 

However, Schnell has found his rythym this spring and settled into a swing that has included three top-10 finishes in three tournaments as well as a stroke average of 70.56 through 18 rounds.

 

Reynolds also snagged a career low at the Ron Moore Invitational with a round of 66, as his previous career low was a 68, shot at the Branson Creek Invitational in 2005.

 

Finally, junior transfer Ty Capps began to make his mark at Nebraska with a new career low of 67, beating his previous mark of 69 shot at the Sam Hall Invitational in the fall.

 

Spangler Leads Squad to Best Spring Start since 1998-99 Season

Head Coach Bill Spangler's fifth year has proven to be the breakthrough year as he has led the squad to the best start by a men's golf team since the 1998-99 season.

 

The Huskers are on a roll with a fourth, third and second place finish to start the spring half of the season, and head into friendly and familiar territory at the Branson Creek course, a tournament which they won last year.