East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University (EMU) men's golf team is set to compete in The Stitch Intercollegiate in Raleigh, North Carolina, on April 11-12. This event, hosted by North Carolina State University, will take place at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course, a par-71 course spanning 7,209 yards. The two-day, 54-hole event features a field of 13 teams, including the host team NC State, Appalachian State, Belmont, East Carolina, George Washington, High Point, LaSalle, Lipscomb, Mercer, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, and Wofford.

Representing the Eagles are Rory McDonald-O'Brien, Daniel Robles Delval, Tim Chan, Bavake Sihota, and James Baxter. McDonald-O'Brien, who tied for 17th place at the Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Intercollegiate, brings an average score of 73.9. Robles Delval has an average of 73.1 and achieved a 5th place finish at the Desert Mountain event. Chan, carrying an average of 72.6, set a school record at the White Sands with a 63. Sihota and Baxter round out the lineup with averages of 75.0 and 74.3, respectively.

Following the Stitch, EMU will compete at the Robert Kepler Invitational in Columbus, Ohio, before heading to the MAC Championships later this month. Coach Andy Walker, named the Black College Golf Coaches Association Coach of the Year for 2023-24, leads the team, which consists of eight new athletes.

The tournament begins on April 11 with a shotgun start, followed by players teeing off from both the first and tenth holes on April 12. Four ranked teams, including host NC State, are part of the competition. NC State's Nick Mathews is the only player ranked in the top 125 of the NCAA Division I Rankings.

Chan, noted for his recent record-breaking performance, leads the team in birdies and holds the tenth-best single-season average. Robles Delval has also marked a place on the single-season average list, sharing a spot with former EMU golfers.

The Eagles currently hold a season average of 292.2, marking it the fifth-best in program history. They aim to maintain or improve this ranking with remaining regular-season competitions before transitioning into postseason play.