TUCSON, Ariz. (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's golf team concluded play at Arizona's prestigious N.I.T. event Saturday at Omni Tucson National (par 72, 7,200 yards), shooting 2-over 290 during the final round.
The tournament's 15-team field included seven teams that are ranked in the nation's top 25, including No. 1 Oklahoma, who won UNLV's Southern Highlands Collegiate last month, and No. 2 Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys ran away with the team title by 21 shots on Saturday, finishing the 54-hole event at 53-under 811. No. 12 Texas placed second at 32-under, No. 9 Pepperdine was third at 28-under, the Sooners were fourth at 27-under and host Arizona rounded out the top five at 26-under. The Rebels finished 15th at 10-over.
OSU's Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra held on to the individual lead during the final round, earning tournament medalist honors by five shots at 20-under 196. He shot 8-under 64 on Saturday. Arizona's Christian Banke placed second at 15-under, while OSU's Aman Gupta was third at 14-under.
The Rebels were led by sophomores
Caden Fioroni and
Ben Sawaia on Saturday as both shot even-par 72. Fioroni tied for 43rd at 1-under 215 for the event, with Sawaia tying for 53rd at 1-over. Senior
J.J. Gresco tied for 74th at 5-over, and senior
David Rauch tied for 80th at 8-over. UNLV was shorthanded during Friday's opening two rounds, playing with only four golfers. Junior
George Leigh returned to the lineup on Saturday, carding an even-par 72.
UP NEXT: UNLV will be back in action on Monday-Tuesday, April 4-5, at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic, which will be played in Phoenix at the Whirlwind Golf Club.
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