Huskers Finish 21st at NCAA Central Regional

The Nebraska men's golf team posted a team score of 319 on Saturday in the final round of the NCAA Central Regional Championships, and finished three rounds of play with a 943 team total. The Huskers' Saturday round left them in a tie for 21st in the 27-team field at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.

The Huskers total left them in a tie with Oklahoma and the 21st-place finish ends the Huskers' 2006-07 season, as the top 10 teams in the Central Regional advanced to the NCAA Championships later this month in Williamsburg, Va. Nebraska reached NCAA Regional play for the second straight year after not making the NCAA postseason in the previous six seasons.

Tulsa captured the NCAA Central Regional with an 895 team total, leading the 10 teams to advance to the NCAA Championships. The Golden Hurricane was followed closely by Alabama (898), Louisville (899), Lamar (900) and Tennessee (904). Several Big 12 teams punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships including Oklahoma State (6th), Texas Tech (7th) and Texas (9th), while Texas A&M just missed qualifying after losing a team playoff to Minnesota for the final berth in the championships.

Nebraska was paced throughout the NCAA Central Regional by senior Brady Schnell. The Millard West graduate capped one of the best careers in school history with three consecutive rounds of 76 on the par-72, 7,214-yard Rich Harvest Farms layout. In the final round, Schnell posted three birdies and seven bogeys for his round of 76 and his 228 total put him a tie for 37th in the final individual standings.

Sophomore Chris Bruening was a pleasant surprise for Nebraska all weekend. The Norfolk native earned a spot in regional action through a qualifier last week, then proceeded to be Nebraska's second-best golfer throughout the tournament. After a pair of rounds of 76 to open the championship, Bruening closed with a 79 on Saturday to finish three rounds at 231, placing him in a tie for 50th place.

Freshman Jamie Marshall was next up for the Huskers. Marshall closed with an 82 on Saturday, for a 244 total over 54 holes, putting him in 115th place. Seniors Ryan Lenahan and Ty Capps each finished with three-round totals of 245, placing them in a tie for 116th place. Capps closed the tournament with an 82 on Saturday, while Lenahan carded an 83.

Dawie Van Der Walt of Lamar and Dan Woltman of Wisconsin tied for the individual medalist honors after completing three rounds at one-under 215. Western Illinois' Tim Streng was third four strokes behind the co-champions.

Coach Bill Spangler graduates four seniors from this year's team, including Schnell, Capps, Lenahan and Drew Reynolds, who was in the starting lineup for the majority of the year. Nebraska will look to Bruening, Marshall and sophomore Trent Price to form the nucleus of next year's team.