Tarasiewicz’s eagle on 18th hole helps Wolverines

Junior Nicholas Tarasiewicz led the men’s golf team with a 29th overall finish in the Falcon Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Wolverines finished with a team score of 914 to finish ahead of Southern Utah, UTEP, Utah and event host Air Force Academy.

Tarasiewicz’s eagle on the par-4 18th hole from 140 yards out in the final round might have just saved the Wolverines from an unpleasant finish to end the event.

“Conditions were tough,” Coach Chris Curran said. “We had it going with about four holes to go and the wheels fell off. We are really close to playing really solid golf.”

Curran believes the team is very near to competing with some of the very best teams in the nation and really putting the UVU men’s golf program on the map.

“We are as good a ball-striking team as anyone in the country,” said Curran. “We need to improve our short game, but most importantly our putting.”

Two events into the season, senior Paul Norman and juniors Andrew Carlin, Joey Olson and Tarasiewicz have been improving and playing well, as upperclassmen should. The biggest surprise yet, which hasn’t been much of a surprise to Curran, has been the performance of freshman Stratton Schulz.

“Stratton played great,” Curran said. “He was rock solid. He never gets frustrated and takes care of business.”

Schulz was the leading golfer for the Wolverines in the Palouse Cougar Collegiate in Pullman, Wash., earlier this season and finished right along with the rest of the team behind Tarasiewicz’s great play in the Falcon Invitational.

The Wolverines are back in action at the Purple and Red Invitational this weekend Oct. 10-12 in Layton, where fans will have the best opportunity to catch the men in action during the year-round golf season ending in early May of 2011.