Oct. 23, 2001

Scarsdale, N.Y. - The Illini men's golf team capped off a successful tournament on Tuesday afternoon, winning the team title at The Tillinghast, a competitive tournament featuring 24 teams at the par-70, 6,835-yard Quaker Ridge Golf Course in Scarsdale N.Y. The Illini led the field after shooting a first round score of 285. In the second and final round of play, the Illini carded a 292 to finish the 36-hole tournament in first place with a score of 577, 17-over par. Big Ten rival Minnesota finished in second place, three strokes behind the Illini at 580, while Texas-Arlington was a distant third at 589, 12 shots behind the victorious Orange and Blue.

But the good news for Illinois did not end there, as a pair of UI golfers tied for the individual title at The Tillinghast. Junior Geoff Lound (Castle Hill, New South Wales, Australia/Castle Hill) and freshman sensation James Lepp (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada/M.E.I.) earned co-medalist honors, each finishing the tournament at two-under par. Lound shot rounds of 67 and 71 to account for his total of 138, while Lepp carded 70 and 68 for his 138. The Illini duo were the only two golfers in the 120-player field to finish the tournament under par. Northwestern's Tom Johnson and Maryland's John Moheyer, were runners-up at one-over par 141, each finishing three strokes behind Lound and Lepp.

Rounding out Illinois' scoring four was freshman Garrett Chaussard, who finished tied for 21st at nine-over (74-75=149) and sophomore Ryan Tendall, who ended in a tie for 42nd at twelve-over par (74-78=152).

"Quaker Ridge is one of the toughest golf courses in the country, and we played phenomenal golf here the past two days to win this tournament," Head Coach Mike Small said. "This is a step in the right direction for our program and shows that we're on the right path, as we beat a number of Big Ten teams here as well as some solid teams from the East Coast. I'm also thrilled for Geoff Lound and James Lepp finishing as co-medalists. Geoff's a junior who has been working hard and it's nice to see that all the hard work is really paying off for him. And for James-winning a tournament of this caliber is a pretty remarkable feat for a freshman. He has been playing consistent golf all season."

This is the first team tournament title won by the Illini since they claimed the Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich. during the 1999 season. Geoff Lound and James Lepp become the first Illini golfers to earn medalist honors at an event since Larry Nuger won the individual title at the 1999 Big Ten Championship. Illinois' winning score of 577 ties as the ninth-lowest 36-hole team score in UI history, while the final score of 138 by Lound and Lepp also finds its way into the Illini record books, tying the fifth-lowest 36-hole individual score in school history.

Final Team Scores (36 Holes, Four Golfers Scoring for Each Team):

1. ILLINOIS 577 +17

2. Minnesota 580 +20

3. Texas-Arlington 589 +29

4. Northwestern 590 +30

Penn State 590 +30

6. Maryland 593 +33

7. Indiana 596 +36

8. Wisconsin 602 +42

9. Michigan 609 +49

St. John's 609 +49

11. James Madison 610 +50

12. Cincinnati 611 +51

13. Richmond 613 +53

Eastern Michigan 613 +53

15. Notre Dame 614 +54

16. Seton Hall 617 +57

17. Navy 618 +58

18. Georgetown 626 +66

19. Iona 628 +68

20. Boston College 630 +70

21. Bethune-Cookman 631 +71

22. Ball State 632 +72

23. Skidmore 640 +80

24. Rutgers 656 +96

Illini Individual Scores:

Place Name Rd.1 Rd.2 Total

T-1st Geoff Lound 67-71=138 -2

T-1st James Lepp 70-68=138 -2

T-21st Garrett Chaussard 74-75=149 +9

T-42nd Ryan Tendall 74-78=152 +12

T-75th Mike O'Neal 77 -81=158 +18