New College of Florida Men's Golf placed eighth among 20 teams at the Invite at Innisbrook, hosted by Dalton State at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor.
The Mighty Banyans finished ahead of six nationally ranked opponents, defeating No. 3 Dalton State, No. 12 Wayland Baptist, No. 14 Science & Arts, No. 17 Grand View, No. 21 William Carey and No. 23 Southeastern.
NCF improved during each round of the tournament, following an opening-round 299 with a 297 in the second round and a tournament-low 295 in the final round. The Mighty Banyans finished with a 39-over-par team score of 891.
Junior Tripp Watkins led NCF, tying for 19th in the 103-player field at 9-over.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
WATKINS LEADS THE WAY: Watkins, the defending Sun Conference Men's Golfer of the Week, opened the tournament with a 4-over 75 before carding a 1-over 72 in the second round. He closed with another 75 to tie for 19th at 9-over with a three-round total of 222.
SHAHRIARI SURGES IN FINAL ROUND: Avery Shahriari recorded consecutive rounds of 77 before firing a 1-under 70 in the final round, the lowest score by a Mighty Banyan during the tournament. Shahriari climbed 49 positions during the final round to tie for 29th at 11-over with a total of 224.
OGLE FINISHES INSIDE TOP 35: Alex Ogle opened with a 2-over 73 and followed with a 1-over 72 in the second round. He finished tied for 34th at 12-over with a three-round total of 225.
CANTINE CONTRIBUTES TWO 74S: Cameron Cantine recorded matching rounds of 74 in the first and third rounds, surrounding a second-round 79. Cantine tied for 52nd at 14-over with a total of 227.
MUNOZ ROUNDS OUT THE LINEUP: Oscar Munoz improved by four strokes following the opening round, recording consecutive rounds of 76 to close the tournament. He tied for 78th at 19-over with a total of 232.
BY THE NUMBERS
8: NCF's finish among the 20-team field.
6: Nationally ranked teams that finished behind the Mighty Banyans.
295: NCF's final-round score, its lowest team round of the tournament.
70: Shahriari's final-round score, the lowest round recorded by a Mighty Banyan.
19: Watkins' position in the 103-player field.
Up Next: New College of Florida concludes its fall schedule Oct. 25-27 at the Southeastern University Invitational at Grasslands Golf and Country Club in Lakeland.
