The men’s golf team had its second straight tournament with a 13-out-of-14 team finish, but still came out with some positives.

NIU got better each day of the three-day Erin Hills Intercollegiate, which was hosted by Marquette University. The scores went by 314, 308, 305=927.

Four of the five golfers from the e lineup had no prior college golf experience beyond this season and head coach Tom Porten likes the progress he has been seeing from his young group.

“We played our best stretch of holes all season, the first nine of the final round…,” Porten said. “We are taking our lumps and we are growing each tournament. We are getting better.”

NIU was led by junior Liam White, who tied for 38th place out of 81 players. White had one of his best tournament of the fall, shooting 75-74-75= 224.

Porten rated White’s performance as one of his top overall outings of the year.

“I am really happy with the way Liam is progressing,” Porten said. “He was very consistent the whole tournament. He had a 75, a 74 and a 75 today. He didn’t hit it as well today as he did the other two days. As I said yesterday, he is really starting to get comfortable at the level of golf courses we are competing on.”

Freshman Pierrick Fillon (80 -76 -78= 234) tied for 66th, and three spots behind him was Jake Curwin in 69th (80 -80 -75 =235).

“[Jake] had a chance to play his best round of the year,” Porten said. “…He just got a little shaky with the putter on the last six holes; that’s what cost him the round. But overall I thought he took very good steps in the right direction.”

Senior Shawn Foley, returning to his home state of Wisconsin, carded a 77 during the final round — his best of the year — to take 74th (80-80=237).

“It was really nice to go back home and play on a course I have seen so many times before,” Foley said. “It was a positive thing for me I have been struggling so far this fall.”

Caulen Coe took 75th place (79 -78 -81 =238).

NIU has a few weeks off before it tees off on Oct. 21 at the Pinetree Intercollegiate in Kennesaw, Ga.