By: Brendan Burris ~Staff Writer~

As spring spreads in the Midwest, the men’s and women’s golf teams are off to a strong start in their seasons.

Most recently, the women’s team took part in the Little Rock/ Arkansas State Women’s Golf Classic in Maumelle, Ark., finishing with a two-day team score of 955, eighth out of the nine teams that participated. Of the four players who participated in the event, senior Shane Crutchfield and freshman Mikayla Smith finished in the top 25.

In its final event of the regular season, the team traveled to Murray, Ky., to play in the Jan Weaver Invitational, competing against teams like Morehead State, Murray State, Akron and Southern Illinois. After the two days of competition, the Musketeers finished third out of 13 teams with a score of 944, nine shots behind first place Morehead State.

The team can now look forward to the Big East Tournament and NCAA Regionals, which take place during the next month.

Recently, the men’s golf team traveled to Pinehurst, N.C., to play in the Pinehurst Intercollegiate Tournament.

In an event against teams such as Elon, Marshall, Ball State and Boston College, the team finished first out of 11, with a score of 878. Sophomore Jose Montano finished in third place individually, after leading for two rounds, with a score of 215 (71-70-74).

The team’s most recent tournament, the Hoosier Collegiate in Columbus, Ind., took place during the weekend.

In a 13-team field that included UC, the team finished in third, two shots behind eventual winner Purdue and 12 shots ahead of the Bearcats.

The team now has one regular season event left, the Rutherford tournament hosted by Penn State. After that, the team will turn to focus on the Big East Championships which occur May 1-3 in Okatie, S.C., and the NCAA Regionals which take place May 16-18.