Men’s Golf | October 27
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PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – The Northern Illinois University men’s golf team wrapped up the fall portion of its 2024-25 season this weekend at the White Sands Collegiate, hosted by West Virginia at The Ocean Club Golf Course in the Bahamas. The Huskies were in the top five through 36 holes and finished Sunday in sixth place with a team score of 14-under par 850, their lowest 54-hole team score of the season and sixth-lowest since 1980.
Senior Felix Krammer (Waakirchen, Germany/Arkansas State) led the Huskies with his second straight top-10 finish. Krammer tied for eighth at -10 206, his best 54-hole score as a Huskie. The senior was under par in all three rounds this weekend, starting with a four-under par 68 on Friday. Krammer had NIU’s lowest round on Saturday with a 67 that included seven birdies on his scorecard. He finished Sunday with a one-under par 71, one of three Huskies to finish one-under on the day.
“Felix played outstanding golf for all 54 holes,” said head coach John Carlson. “In the last two tournaments he’s put himself in a position to win an individual title. With both him and Ben Sluzas playing at a high level, our team score has been directly influenced by that leadership.”
NIU got out to a fast start on the weekend, posting an eight-under par 280 on Friday that put the Huskies tied for fourth with Ball State. Ben Sluzas (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) led the way with a five-under par 67 to go with Krammer’s 68. Conner McCall (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia Community) posted an even par 72 with Patrick Raupp (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) rounding out the scoring group with a one-over par 73.
The Huskies were six-under par for Saturday’s round, making three eagles on the day. Both Raupp and McCall had eagles on the par-five 13th as the freshman duo each carded rounds of 71. Sluzas made an eagle on the par-five sixth to highlight his round of 73. NIU, as a team, posted an even par 288 in Sunday’s final round. Krammer, Sluzas, and Craig Long (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) each posted rounds of one-under 71 with McCall rounding out the scoring group with a three-over 75.
“Through 36 holes we had a real opportunity to finish in the top three,” Carlson said. “Our guys hung in there today in some gusty conditions and were able to end the fall on a high note.”
NIU was three strokes behind West Virginia for fifth place and finished six strokes ahead of Eastern Michigan. Charleston ran away with the tournament win, besting Houston by 10 strokes.
Sluzas finished in the top 20 for the second time this fall with a 54-hole score of five-under par 211. McCall posted his best 54-hole score of the season with a two-over par 220 that put him in a tie for 38th. Raupp tied for 43rd with a three-over par 219.
“We made a great comeback this fall from where we started,” added Carlson. “I feel like our team played its best golf in the last two events. We improved from the tee which helped keep our scores low. This is a good note to take into the spring with a lineup of seasoned veterans and talented young players.”
NIU’s first event of the 2025 calendar year is at the Lake Las Vegas Invitational Feb. 24-26 at Reflection Bay Golf Club.
Individual Results
T-8: Felix Krammer 68-67-71=206 (-10)
T-18: Ben Sluzas 67-73-71=211 (-5)
T-38: Conner McCall 72-71-75=218 (+2)
T-43. Patrick Raupp 73-71-75=219 (+3)
55. Jack Mulligan (IND) 73-78-73=224 (+8)
T-56. Craig Long 80-74-71=225 (+9)
–NIU–
