Cleveland State Men, Oakland Women Take Leads into Final Rounds of #HLGolf Championship

Two-time defending men's champion Cleveland State shot a 287 in the second round on Saturday to overtake Oakland for the lead with one round to go in the Horizon League Championship at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

The Oakland's women's golf team remained in first place on the women's side, extending its lead over second-place Northern Kentucky to five shots.

Cleveland State saw three of its players shoot rounds under par as Blake Prince (69), Joey Krecic (71) and Patrick Luth (71) led CSU's charge up the leaderboard. The Vikings are seeking to be the first team to win three consecutive Horizon League titles since Xavier won four straight from 1990-93. A championship tomorrow would also be Cleveland State's eighth Horizon League men's golf champion, the most in League history.

Oakland's Jake Kneen moved into solo position of first with a four-under-par 68 on Saturday. The 68 is the lowest round this championship and gives him a one shot lead on Krecic and Wright State's Ryan Wenzler. Youngstown State's Steven Sveda is in fourth, two shots behind second, while CSU's Luth trails Sveda by one stroke in fifth.

Cleveland State has a seven shot advantage over first round leader Oakland. Wright State is in third, Youngstown State fourth and Valparaiso sits in fifth. Detroit moved up one postiion to sixth, Northern Kentucky sits in seventh and Green Bay rounds out the field in eighth.

Oakland's women's team was the only team to have all five players shoot in the 70s on Saturday to take a five shot lead on Northern Kentucky. Alyssa Albright and Elle Nichols both shot a 77 in the second round to lead the Golden Grizzlies.Defending champion Youngstown State matched Oakland with a second round score of 311 to move from a tie for 6th place to third. Cleveland State is in fourth, one shot back of YSU. UIC is in fifth and has a four shot lead over Detroit and Valparaiso, which are tied for sixth. Green Bay is in eighth, 14 shots back of sixth place.

Macy Wright followed up a first round 73 with a 74 on Saturday to extend her lead on the field to four shots. Defending champion and Horizon League Player of the Year Emily Dixon from Youngstown State is in second. UIC's Phon Angwarawong is in third, Fiona Schmidt sits in fourth and Nichols and CSU's Allyson Hackman are tied for fifth.

The third and final round of the championship starts Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m.

Men's Team Standings
1. Cleveland State - 295-287--582
2. Oakland - 291-298--589
3. Wright State - 307-295--602
4. Youngstown State - 308-303--611
5. Valparaiso - 309-304--613
6. Detroit - 313-303--616
7. Northern Kentucky - 309-310--619
8. Green Bay - 320-312--632

Men's Individual Standings
1. Jake Kneen, Oakland - 73-68--141 
t2. Joey Krecic, Cleveland State - 71-71--142
t2. Ryan Wenzler, Wright State - 72-70--142
4. Steven Sveda, Youngstown State - 72-72--144
5. Patrick Luth, Cleveland State - 74-71--145
t6. Wil Wittmann, Detroit - 70-76--146
t6. Blake Prince, Cleveland State - 77-69--146

Women's Team Standings
1. Oakland - 311-311--622
2. Northern Kentucky - 314-313--627
3. Youngstown State - 330-311--641
4. Cleveland State - 323-319--642
5. UIC - 330-323--653
t6. Valparaiso - 325-332--657
t6. Detroit - 328-329--657
8. Green Bay - 345-326--671

Women's Individual Standings
1. Macy Wright, Northern Kentucky - 73-74--147
2. Emily Dixon, Youngstown State - 75-76--151
3. Phon Angwarawong, UIC - 79-74--153
4. Fiona Schmidt, Oakland - 75-79--154
t5. Elle Nichols, Oakland - 78-77--155
t5. Allyson Hackman, Cleveland State - 77-78--155
t7. Morgan Smith, Oakland - 77-79--156
t7. Rayna Oosterhuis, Cleveland State - 81-75--156