DeKALB — The men’s golf team gained two spots in the final round of action Sunday to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference Men’s Golf Championship.

The team finished 87-over-par, beating out the Toledo Rockets by two shots thanks to a final round score of 306, the Huskies’ best round of the tournament. The team’s fifth-place finish in a field of nine teams is tied for its best finish of the season.

Head Coach Tom Porten said it was good to see the team finish the season strong on a tough Sycamore Hills Golf Course in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

“[I’m] very happy for the guys to finish strong on a really hard and challenging golf course,” Porten said. “They showed some toughness today.”

Senior Joo-Young Lee (73-78-74-75 — 300) had the highest finish for the Huskies, tying for seventh place at 12-over-par. Junior Thomas DeMarco (77-78-78-81 — 314) had the team’s next highest finish with a tie for 23rd.

Lee struggled through the spring season but picked up his first top-10 finish of the spring and his best finish of the season overall. Porten said Lee has been constantly improving this season.

“Joo battled his way out of a slump in the early spring,” Porten said. “He’s just been getting better and better as the spring wore on. Having a fifth-year senior end up in the top seven, it’s a credit to him, and we’re really happy with his finish.”

Lee is the only senior graduating and leaving the team after the season. Porten said the biggest thing his team retained from this season that can lead to even greater success next year is experience.

“I think the biggest thing we gain is experience,” Porten said. “The team really benefited from a tough schedule in the spring and we kept getting better and better as the spring wore on.”

Porten said the future is bright for the team looking into next season as he believes the team is ready to see the program move from dark horse to contender.

“I know they are all going to go to their hometowns and home cities and have very good summers and come back ready to grow our program in 2019,” Porten said.