RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Valdosta State improved seven strokes in the second and final round of the UIS Island Getaway in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, but equal improvement from other programs led to a sixth place finish for the Blazers in the two-day event.
Gulf South Conference rival North Alabama held top position at the start of the second round, but was bumped to second place after Missouri-St. Louis posted a final team round of 2-over 290 to edge out UNA with an overall 11-over 587 score. The Lions finished second at 14-over 590, while Columbus State rounded out the top three at 23-over 599. Only Tiffin and Drury outperformed Valdosta State’s 29-over 605 effort, as both finished tied for fourth place at 25-over 601.
Matt Anderson put up his top outing of the season on Tuesday (October 27th, 2015), shooting 1-over 73 on the day. Anderson’s performance launched him into an 8-way tie for 13th place. Jake Harpe, who also improved on Tuesday by one stroke, posted a 3-over 73 score to also reside among the eight competitors tied for 13th.
Chris Rogers claimed a spot on the leader board tied for 32nd after a 5-over 78 finish on Tuesday, while Mitch Lomis‘ score of 9-over 81 dropped the junior into a 5-way tie for 36th. Valdosta State’s biggest individual improvement of the tournament came from Olav Zandveld, who trimmed 12 strokes from Monday’s 13-over 85 performance to post a 1-over 73 score in round two and improve to a tie for 43rd place.
The event marked the last of Valdosta State’s fall schedule. The Blazers spring schedule is set to kick off on February 8, 2016, at The Matlock in Lakeland, Fla.