Wheeling, W. Va. – Throughout the spring season, the Wheeling University Men's Golf team has been gaining experience against both in-region and Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponents. On Monday, they will wrap up the spring schedule when they take on the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Preview, hosted by Gannon University. The Cardinal's all-freshman squad will look to finish out the spring strong as they prepare for the 2025-2026 season.
Last time out, the team competed in a rain-shortened one day event at the West Liberty Invitational at nearby Oglebay. The teams would only get to play 36 holes due to rain that canceled day two, and it was a strong showing for the Cardinals. As has been their trend during the spring season, the Cardinals continued to improve their team score, putting together a two round score of 602 to finish seventh in the field. After dropping 25 strokes off their score from the first to the second round at the MEC spring Classic, the Cardinals would lower their two round score by 26 strokes from the MEC Spring Classic to the WLU Invitational. The Cardinals would have three golfers finish I the top 40 of the event, while having one golfer hit the top five in the event.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Sean Dobson, who finished fourth in the field with a combined score of 139 across the 36 holes. His first round was his best as he finished right around Par, shooting a 70 and holding the top spot in the tournament field. The birdie was Dobson's friend during the day, as he picked up three in the first round and headed into the second 18 holes of play looking to continue the success. The second round would be even better for the freshman, as he hit a new PR shooting a 69 over the final 18 holes to finish -2. He would pick up five of his eight total birdies in the second round and would end up finishing fourth in the tournament field. Dobson has had a strong showing throughout the spring season, with an average round score of 75 through spring and he looks to continue leading the way.
The other two Cardinals who hit the top 40 were Lodin Femoen and Vladimir Zhang, finishing in a tie for 40th. They shot identical scores of 154 across the two rounds of competition, with both finishing with PRs on the day. Foemen's strong effort would come in the first round, where he would be the Cardinal's second strongest golfer, finishing the first 18 holes with a score of 74. He added his first career birdie in the round and followed with four straight pars to ride a strong start. For Zhang, the PR effort came in the second round of competition, when he shot a 77 to equal his first round score. He also picked up the first birdie of his career and finished the event with two total birdies as he continues to play into the team's top five.
In their final event of the spring, it is all about getting to see and compete against some of the best competition in the Atlantic Region. While the Cardinals will not have anyone qualify for the Regional Championship event, they will get the chance to see several of the team's and golfers who will make an appearance at the event. Hosted by Gannon University, they team will take the three-hour trip up I-79 and will see schools from the MEC, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. It will be their final chance to take the course before the off-season as they round out the spring season and continue to build around their young roster.
The Details
The First round of the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Preview is scheduled for Monday, April 21st, with tee times beginning around 10 AM. Follow along live by clicking HERE.
