The University of Illinois men’s golf team advanced to seventh place on May 19 after a strong performance in the second round of the NCAA Athens Regional at the University of Georgia Golf Course. Four players shot under par, with senior Ryan Voois leading the team with a score of 67 and junior Dane Huddleston following closely with a 68. The Illini posted a team score of nine-under-par (275), which was the second-best score among all teams for that day.
The result positions Illinois just two strokes behind Brigham Young University for one of five available spots in the upcoming NCAA Championship. This advancement is significant as it keeps their championship hopes alive heading into the final round.
Head coach Mike Small said, “We had some resiliency today. I think Dane (Huddleston) having a good round was big – going off first and shooting 3-under-par. We were struggling a little bit early, and the guys made notice of that and they responded well.” He added, “We had two guys that shot three- and four-under today, and then a couple of other guys followed suit, and it was a better team effort.” Small also commented on their progress: “We’re digging ourselves out of the hole. We got our hands out above the ground right now, and we’re starting to peek out of the hole, but we need to pull ourselves out of it all day tomorrow.”
Voois moved up 23 places on the individual leaderboard thanks to six birdies during his round despite encountering only one setback—a double-bogey on No. 7. Huddleston improved by six strokes from his opening round, tallying five birdies for an even-par total through two rounds.
Junior Max Herendeen is tied with Voois at T16 after posting scores under par in eight NCAA Regional rounds during his Illini career so far. Sophomore Trey Marrion matched Herendeen’s consistency with back-to-back rounds under par as well.
University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men’s Golf engages in fall and spring tournaments—including conference and national events—to foster competitive experience; enhances athletic heritage while promoting values like team spirit; competes under National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I guidelines within the Big Ten Conference; offers student-athletes avenues for competition, growth, academic achievement; operates as an intercollegiate program led by head coach Mike Small—all according to the official website.
The final round will begin at 8:00 a.m Eastern Time on Wednesday as Illinois aims to secure its spot in next week’s national championship event.
