Huskers Open October in Arizona

Wyoming/Southern Dunes Collegiate Invitational
Dates: Saturday, Oct. 4 - Sunday, Oct. 5
Golf Course: Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club
Location: Maricopa, Ariz.
Course Par: 72
Course Yardage: 7,500
Format: 54 holes

• Saturday: 36 holes starting at 8:30 a.m. CT (Shotgun)
• Sunday: 18 holes starting at 8:30 a.m. CT (Shotgun)

Scoring: Live scoring on Golfstat.com
Course Website: GolfSouthernDunes.com
Tournament Field (11 teams): Wyoming, UC Irvine, Nebraska, San Francisco, UTPA, Idaho, Northern Colorado, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly, Arizona State, Fort Lewis College

Nebraska Lineup:
1. Calvin Freeman
2. Josh Reinertson
3. Ross Dickson
4. Justin Jennings
5. Niko Vui

Nebraska Individuals: Mike Siwa and Ben Maschka

 The Nebraska men’s golf team makes a quick turnaround as the Huskers journey to Maricopa, Ariz., over the weekend for the Wyoming/Southern Dunes Collegiate Invitational. 

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, a par-72, 7,500-yard configuration, will host the 54-hole event. Saturday’s 36 holes begins with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. (CT). Sunday’s final round also starts at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring for the tournament is available on Golfstat.com.

Nebraska will be joined by 10 teams at the Wyoming/Southern Dunes Collegiate Invitational: Wyoming, UC Irvine, San Francisco, UTPA, Idaho, Northern Colorado, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly, Arizona State and Fort Lewis College.

Senior Calvin Freeman will represent the No. 1 spot in the Nebraska lineup as he seeks to continue his momentum from last week’s tie for third at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational. The Huskers will use the same lineup in Arizona that they did in Colorado, as Josh Reinertson, Ross Dickson, Justin Jennings and Niko Vui are set to tee it up.

Senior Mike Siwa and freshman Ben Maschka will play as individuals outside of the Husker lineup.

Last Time Out: Freeman Finishes Tied for Third in Colorado
Senior Calvin Freeman recorded his second consecutive subpar round on Tuesday, Sept. 30 to lead Nebraska to a tie for ninth place at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.

Freeman tied for third individually, finishing eight strokes behind tournament medalist David Oraee of Colorado. Freeman made four birdies and three bogeys in the second round of the 36-hole event en route to 1-under-par 71. On Monday, the Table Rock, Neb., native fired 68 for a tournament total of 5-under-par 139.

The Huskers posted their second consecutive sub-300 round with 297 in the final round at Colorado National Golf Club, a par-72, 7,771-yard layout. NU tied for ninth at 12-over-par 588, as tournament host Colorado took home the team title at 556.

Senior Josh Reinertson notched a tie for 29th after carding 1-over-par 73 over the final 18 holes. The Gibbon, Neb., native recorded three birdies and four bogeys on Tuesday. In the first round, Reinertson posted 74, giving him a 3-over-par 147 total for the tournament.

Ross Dickson birdied the first hole in the final round and added seven bogeys on his way to 6-over-par 78 on Tuesday. He tied for 64th at 152 with Justin Jennings, who produced 5-over-par 77 on the final day. Jennings birdied the seventh hole, but made four bogeys and one double bogey at Colorado National Golf Club.

Freshman Niko Vui, making his first collegiate start at Nebraska, tied for 81st at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational. Vui, a Samoa native, birdied both front-nine par-3s en route 4-over-par 76. He compiled 155 strokes for the two-day event.

Reinertson Fires Final-Round 69 in Minnesota
Senior Josh Reinertson scorched Windsong Farm Golf Club on Monday, Sept. 8 with a 2-under-par 69 in the final round en route to a tie for 24th individually. He led Nebraska to a 10th-place finish among the teams in the Gopher Invitational.

The Huskers produced a score of 303 in the final round, tying their best round of the tournament. On the opening day, NU posted 303 in the first round before shooting 305 in the second round. The Huskers’ 911 total for the tournament earned a tie for 10th with Notre Dame.

Off the Tee (Team Notes)
• The Huskers are making their first all-time appearance at the Wyoming/Southern Dunes Collegiate Invitational presented by Cleveland Golf.

• The Huskers have managed top 10 finishes in five of their last six stroke play events dating back to last season.

• Under Head Coach Bill Spangler, who is in his 14th season, Nebraska has won 10 tournament titles. Spangler has also guided the Huskers to 31 top-three tournament finishes and six individual titles.

• The Nebraska men’s golf program has four NCAA Championship appearances along with seven NCAA Regional starts. In each season from 2010 to 2012, the Huskers sent one individual to the NCAA Regionals. Scott Willman tied for 40th at the Norman Regional (2012), Andrew Wyatt tied for 41st at the Colorado Regional (2011) and Brandon Crick tied for eighth at the West Regional (2010).

Chip Shots (Individual Notes)
Ross Dickson, Senior (London, England)
• Ross Dickson is making his third appearance of the season after competing at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational and Gopher Invitational. He holds a 76.60 stroke average in five rounds this season.

• Dickson’s career-best round (68) and career-best 54-hole score (214) came at the 2014 Desert Shootout.

• Dickson’s best tournament finish (T-3rd) was at the 2012 D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate.

Calvin Freeman, Senior (Table Rock, Neb.)
• Calvin Freeman is making his third appearance of the season after playing in the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational and Gopher Invitational. Freeman holds a 73.20 stroke average after two events.

• Freeman joined the Huskers in 2013-14 as a junior after competing at Southeast Community College-Beatrice for two seasons. In his first year at Nebraska, Freeman played in 11 of 12 tournaments for a 74.90 stroke average over 31 rounds.

• Freeman has shot his career-low round of 68 on three occasions, including once at last week’s Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.

• Freeman’s best career 54-hole score was 211, which he fired at the 2014 Desert Shootout.

• Freeman’s best finish was a tie for third at the 2014 Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.

Justin Jennings, Sophomore (Amarillo, Texas)
• Justin Jennings is making his third showing of the season, and holds a 79.00 stroke average after two tournaments.

• Jennings played in eight tournaments last season as a true freshman, compiling a 76.06 stroke average over 18 rounds.

• Jennings’ lowest career round (69), lowest career 54-hole score (217) and best tournament finish (T-22nd) came at the 2013 Price’s Give ‘Em Five Invitational.

Ben Maschka, Freshman (Omaha, Neb.)
• Ben Maschka will compete as an individual outside of the NU lineup this week in Arizona.

• Maschka is in his first season at Nebraska after a standout career at Omaha Creighton Prep High School where he won the individual Class A state title in 2014.

Cameron Palmer, Junior (Gilbert, Ariz.)
• Cameron Palmer did not compete for the Huskers in 2013-14, but played in two tournaments during the spring 2013 season. He holds a stroke average of 80.00 in three stroke play rounds at Nebraska after he transferred from Arizona State during his sophomore season.

Josh Reinertson, Senior (Gibbon, Neb.)
• Josh Reinertson is making his second appearance of the season after tying for 24th at the Gopher Invitational. He holds a 75.00 stroke average this season after one tournament.

• Reinertson begins his senior season after a summer that included a trip to the U.S. Amateur as well as a tie for fourth at the Nebraska Amateur and an appearance in the semifinals of the Nebraska Match Play.

• Reinertson proved to be a consistent player for the Huskers during the spring 2014 season, compiling a 73.85 stroke average in 13 rounds. He managed a career-best fifth-place finish at the 2014 Oak Hill Intercollegiate and fired a career-low 54-hole score of 213 at the Desert Shootout.

Mike Siwa, Senior (Omaha, Neb.)
• Mike Siwa played in the season-opening Gopher Invitational, tying for 49th at 233. He holds a 77.67 stroke average this season after one event.

• Siwa, a fifth-year senior, competed in seven tournaments for the Huskers in 2013-14, earning a 76.39 stroke average.

• Siwa’s best 54-hole score is 221, which he accomplished at the 2014 Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate. His best career result is 18th place at the 2014 Oak Hill Intercollegiate.

Niko Vui, Freshman (Apia, Samoa)
• Niko Vui will make his second start for the Huskers after playing at the Mark Simpson Invitational. He holds a 77.50 stroke average in two rounds.

• The top-ranked amateur player in Samoa, Vui spent his high school career golfing at LDS Pesega College.

Aaron Wong, Junior (Chandler, Ariz.)
• Aaron Wong played in two tournaments last season for a 75.33 stroke average over six rounds.

• Wong’s lowest round (68), lowest 54-hole score (223) and best tournament finish (T-7th) all came at the 2012 Fairway Club Invitational.

Nathan Wong, Sophomore (Chandler, Ariz.)
• Nathan Wong competed in the first tournament of the 2013-14 campaign, recording a tie for 33rd, after redshirting in 2012-13. He holds a career stroke average of 74.67.

Offseason Notes
• Former Husker golfer Brady Schnell fired a second-round 59 at Sirocco Golf Course on Aug. 1 while competing at the ATB Financial Classic in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Schnell, an Omaha, Neb., native, became the first player in PGA Tour Canada history to card a sub-60 score.

• Josh Reinertson qualified for the U.S. Amateur after firing 11-under-par 133 for two rounds at Willowbend Golf Club in Wichita, Kan., on July 16. At the U.S. Amateur, he shot 80 and 77 and missed the 64-player cut for the match play portion of the tournament.

• Newcomer Ben Maschka captured individual medalist honors at the Nebraska Class A State Boys Golf Tournament at Holmes Park Golf Course on May 29. Maschka fired a pair of 68s at the two-day, 36-hole tournament to lead Omaha Creighton Prep to its third consecutive team title.