Their four-shot opening-day lead was trimmed to three Sunday after they stumbled to an 11-over-par total (five players tee it up, and the four best rounds count). That was the highest score among the top five teams in the standings and put them at 18-over at the El Campeon course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
IU Indy and Cleveland State are 21-over, while Robert Morris is 26-over and Oakland 28-over.
“It was a roller-coaster today. It was just as windy as yesterday, if not a little more. It was playing tough out there. But we have a lead. It’s not as big as we wanted, but we can’t complain,” fourth-year coach Conner Lash said.
Shane Ochs followed an opening-round 70 with a 76 and is fifth individually at 2-over, five behind leader Titus Boswell of IU Indy.
Timmy Hollenbeck had the team’s best round at 1-over 73 — despite a triple-bogey eight on the par-5 first hole — and is tied for sixth at 3-over. Adam Horn had a 74 and is tied for ninth at 5-over.
Brock Rumpke had his second straight 76, and fellow fifth-year player Andrew Flynn had his second consecutive 77.
Flynn is the defending individual champ, but the Raiders haven’t used his score either day.
“I think he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself. It’s his last go-round, and that’s a hard thing to manage. He’s doing the best he can. He’s fighting to the end. That’s all I can really ask of him,” Lash said.
The scores are much higher this year — and above the norm for the players this season.
The Raiders finished 8-under in winning last year, and all five starters have averaged under 75 in 2024-25: Hollenbeck 72.76, Ochs 72.86, Flynn 73.11, Horn 73.57 and Rumpke 74.22.
“We definitely have high expectations for ourselves, and maybe sometimes, it gets a little too high,” Lash said.
“We had some solid rounds. We fought. We had some hiccups and we fought back till the end. We have a chance to go win tomorrow, and that’s all you can really ask for.”
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