The NIU men’s golf team is currently five tournaments into its spring season and faces two tournaments ahead of the Mid-American Conference Championship on April 27.
Throughout the spring season, NIU has had its fair share of highs and lows but has great potential to make noise in the conference championship.
With that being said, here are three takeaways from the Huskies’ spring season so far.
KRAMMER, SLUZAS’ LAST DANCE
Headlining a strong senior class, Felix Krammer and Ben Sluzas approach the end of their collegiate career. All in all, the duo has shined in the spring.
Krammer is coming off a second-place finish at the Kishwaukee Collegiate on Saturday, with Sluzas finishing just behind in fourth place.
Sluzas’ performance at the collegiate was vital in the Huskies’ victory, as he locked in for four-straight birdies on the back nine. Krammer’s performance was also crucial, tallying multiple key putts down the stretch.
With the pair looking to move on to bigger, better things following graduation, it marks a bittersweet end to stellar careers. Playing over two years together, the duo has grown close to one another.
“I think it’s great to have someone like Ben (Sluzas) on the team, it’s like a head-to-head battle,” Krammer said. “Some of the tournaments, he’s a couple spots ahead of me, then others, I’m a couple spots ahead of him. I think that is something we can both feed off.”
Sluzas doubled down on the pair’s tight-knit relationship, praising Krammer.
“Coach bringing him (Krammer) in was awesome,” Sluzas said. “He’s a great player. He’s going to do a lot of great things after college, and it has been awesome to battle with him on the course in practice and in tournaments because it’s made me better.”
Krammer and Sluzas have taken turns as the top-two players on the team, which has proved beneficial because, after all, iron sharpens iron.
YOUNG STUDS
With the departure of its star-studded pair of seniors, NIU looks to its large class of freshmen to pick up the slack.
The Huskies sport a class of five freshmen, with four of them each seeing significant time in the lineup this season. Beau Petersen, Conner McCall, Patrick Raupp and Jack Mulligan have each shown promise.
“They’re (NIU’s freshmen) just a sponge when we (the upperclassmen on the team) talk about information, about how to get better,” Sluzas said. “It’s just great to see.”
At the Kishwaukee Collegiate, Mulligan carded a top-three finish, which included a five-foot putt on the last hole to help seal NIU’s victory. Mulligan also logged a career-best 18-hole round score of 65 in the first round of the collegiate.
Raupp has also shined, providing consistent golf throughout the fall and spring season. Raupp is third on the team in stroke average, sitting less than a stroke behind Sluzas.
Moreover, McCall and Petersen have also shown potential. McCall’s best finish is a tie for ninth place at the Purdue Fall Invitational on Sept. 23 and Petersen’s is a tie for 32nd place at the Lake Las Vegas Invitational on Feb. 26.
RESILIENCE
Facing harsh winds, the Huskies finished the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate in 12th place out of 13 teams.
Despite facing the adversity of a rough tournament performance, NIU showed resilience. The Huskies moved on, got back to work and ultimately claimed a tournament victory at the Kishwaukee Collegiate.
Aside from the tough outing in Tucson, Arizona, the Huskies have consistently been in the top half of the tournaments they compete in.
Displaying impressive resilience this season, NIU sits in a good position three tournaments out of the MAC Championship.
With electric performances by its seniors, paired with the flashes their freshmen have shown, the NIU men’s golf team has a bright future.
