Eastern Wayne Today

The Wayne State University men's golf team is set to begin its postseason journey at the GLIAC Championships. The tournament will take place at Stoatin Brae Golf Club in Augusta, Michigan. The 25th-ranked Warriors will play 18 holes on Friday and another 18 on Saturday. If they rank among the top four teams after these rounds, they will advance to the Match Play Semifinals later on Saturday, with a chance to compete in the Match Play Finals on Sunday.

This season marks the fifth time that the Match Play format has been used, although it was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19. Wayne State has previously qualified for this stage twice out of four attempts. In their first year of participation in 2019, the Warriors finished fourth out of eleven teams but lost to Ashland 3-2 in the semifinals. Last year, Wayne State secured second place among nine teams and defeated Ferris State in the semifinals (3-1-1) before losing to Grand Valley State in the finals (5-0).

Head coach Mike Horn expressed his anticipation for the championships: "Coming off a very successful regular season, I am really looking forward, as is the team, to the GLIAC Championships," he said. He also mentioned potential weather challenges: "It looks like we're going to battle rain and wind in the first round and then have a very nice second day where we can hopefully get into the match play portion." Horn emphasized teamwork as crucial for success: "We need all five guys clicking on all cylinders in order to compete with the top teams in our conference."

The lineup for Wayne State includes Josh DiCarlo from Amherstburg, Ontario; Mat Hawryluk from Chatham, Ontario; Max Leppelmeier from Wauseon, Ohio; Ian Smith from Canton, Michigan; and Adam Burghardt from New Baltimore, Michigan.

The tournament field features several ranked teams including Grand Valley State (1/4), Ferris State (4/40), Davenport (9/74), Saginaw Valley State (NR/106), Northern Michigan (NR/121), Purdue Northwest (NR/155), Parkside (NR/94), and Lake Superior State (NR/192).