Ross Fires 76 to Lead Jackets at Defiance Invitational

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Freshman Mike Ross shot a second-round score of 76 on Sunday afternoon to help the Defiance College men's golf team shave 13 shots of its score from Saturday. The Jackets ended the two-day tournament in seventh with a total of 657.

The hot shooting from Ross led the Bryan, Ohio native's charge up the leaderboard, jumping Ross from 23rd to a tie for 16th in the individual standings with a final score of 157. Ross finished even in the standings with teammate Matt Gehring, who backed up Saturday's 78 with a final round of 79 while competing as an independent. Alex Goecke was the only other Yellow Jacket to finish among the top 30, as the sophomore carded a 164 on a pair of 82's to end in a tie for 28th.

The team championship went to Mount St. Joseph, after the Lions shot a 597 behind the top two individual finishers at the event. Phillip Gilmore shot a 68 on Sunday to claim medalist honors with a 146 total, while Dean Kruschinksi ended in second place, just two strokes off Gilmore's pace.

The Mount was followed in the team standings by Tiffin (608), Trine (625), Northwestern Ohio (629), Rochester (640), Lourdes (651) and Defiance (657).

Defiance will compete in the first and second rounds of the 2011 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships next weekend in Lexington, Kentucky. The opening round is slated to begin at 11:00 am on Saturday, April 16.