JACKSONVILLE, N.C. – In their final tune-up ahead of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship, the No. 14 nationally ranked Guilford College men's golf team matched their top finish of the season, taking third with an 11-over team score out of 24 teams at the 52^nd annual Camp Lejeune Intercollegiate, hosted by Oglethorpe University at the Camp LeJeune Gold Championship course on Friday through Sunday.

With some clouds but mid-to-high 80's temperatures for the 54 holes across the three-day event at the par-72 courses, it was quality conditions for the competing teams. It was a slightly lighter field than the Quakers are accustomed to, as they were one of just four Scoreboard top-25 teams in attendance, alongside the hosting Stormy Petrels as well as No. 17 Babson College and No. 21 Averett University, with GC topping that bunch, although several other top-100 teams competed. ODAC rival Shenandoah University tied with Sandhills Community College for the top finish in the event, with a nine-over score. Oglethorpe rounded out the top-four with a 15-over finish. Among league opponents, GC only trailed the Hornets with Averett taking sixth at 21-over, Roanoke College claiming tenth at 29-over, Randolph-Macon College finishing tied for 16^th at 42-over, Bridgewater College grabbing 18^th at 45-over, and finally Virginia Wesleyan finishing 21^st at 62-over.

One-of-five players to finish the event sub-even, Evan Mendyk (Summerfield, N.C.) proved he was in top-form entering the ODAC Championship with his best finish of the spring. Excelling on par-3's with an average score of 3.08 on them, Mendyk's top round of the weekend came on Friday when he finished two-under at 70 thanks to a trio of birdies, including two in his first five holes, against just a single bogey on seven. His middle round has some turbulence finishing two over with seven bogeys, but he salvaged it with good work on the par-3's as well as three birdies and the only eagle by a Quaker on the weekend. Completing the event on Sunday, he was even, splitting his bogeys and birdies evenly through 17-holes until a birdie on his final pin of the event put him under-par on the day and the event.

Andrew Perry (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) completed the regular season on a high-note playing steady golf all weekend with his round scores not deviating by more than two strokes. He loved the third pin with three of his seven birdies coming on that hole, as on Friday, he posted par-golf outside of the third tee on the front nine. The back nine was a little more adventuresome, with three bogeys, but birdies on 15 and 18 got him even on day one. His Saturday round saw some trouble at the turn, with three of his four bogeys coming in a four-hole span from 17 through two. But he kept his score in-check with a couple birdies to finish just two over. Perry's third trek through the course saw a strong finish with birdies on two of his last four pins, salvaging a one-over round with a three-over event to take a tie for 14^th.

On a Guilford team that led the field in par holes, with 167 at the event, Luke Wise (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) was the best of the bunch racking up 38, tied for the most of any player on his way to his best finish of the season both in terms of score and placing at four-over and tied for 19^th. He started strong, with a birdie but then a bogey, par, bogey, par stretch ensued ahead of his second birdie hole on six on Friday. Wise settled in though, shooting even golf for the next 14 holes spanning into Saturday, including the final dozen pins on day one. He had trouble on day two as a whole, accumulating six bogeys against one birdie and that spanned into Sunday with one-over holes on his second and third pins. However, the freshman settled in with par-or-better tees the rest of the way to drop his round to a one-under finish.

James Alden (East Northport, N.Y.) rounded out GC scorers with a turbulent 54 holes. Tied for the second-most of any player, and featuring the most birdies of any Quaker, the senior also had five double-bogeys in the event, holding back his score overall. Standing at three-under through the first ten holes on day one, he double-bogeyed 11 and bogeyed on 12 to get back even, posting two more one-over tees the rest of the way, and while a birdie on 18 got him to just one-over, it seemed like a missed chance. Saturday was a difficult round as he had a trio of birdies but also two double bogeys and five bogeys to finish six-above, but he would finish strong. Standing at three-above after seven holes Sunday, he surged the rest of the way, fighting back to one-over by the turn and posting three birdies, albeit with one bogey, on his final four pins to complete a below-par round and the event tied for 27^th at six-over.

Parker Cumbea (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) also competed for GC, but did not factor into the scoring. He finished tied for 56^th at ten-over with rounds of 73, 77, and 76.

The Quakers will next compete in the ODAC Championship meet to be played on April 28^th through 30^th at the Green Course at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.

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