STILLWATER, Okla. – The Fighting Illini men's golf program secured its 13^th-consecutive NCAA Championship berth on Tuesday, pushing past an early round weather delay to post a second-place finish, behind host Oklahoma State, at the Stillwater Regional at Karsten Creek Golf Club.

"This team has matured and has improved in many ways throughout this spring," head coach Mike Small said. "They've had very consistent finishes, but to play this field, on this golf course, and persevere through the expectations of a regional qualifying tournament makes me proud. I'm proud of the maturity, and I'm proud of the way they took care of business."

The Illini were led by their trio of first-team All-Big Ten performers. Fifth-year senior Michael Feagles, junior Adrien Dumont de Chassart, and sophomore Jerry Ji all posted top-eight individual finishes, including closing rounds of par or better on Tuesday.

"This was another total team effort. Everybody contributed, but those three guys, all finishing in the top eight, in this field is really hard," Small added. "There were a lot of good teams here - some good teams that didn't advance, which can happen - but to have our leaders step up and play well, on top of that total team effort, was big."

Feagles and Dumont de Chassart continued their season-long back-and-forth, each firing 1-under 71s to remain deadlocked. They moved from a tie for fourth following Round 2, up into a share of third place in the final standings with a 54-hole total of 211 (-5).

Ji, making his NCAA Regional debut, finished two strokes behind Feagles and Dumont de Chassart, carding an even-par 72 in Round 3 to finish in a tie for eighth place at 213 (-3). He was particularly sharp following the weather delay, overcoming a 4-over start over his first three holes by returning to the course and shooting 4-under over the final 15, including a stretch of three consecutive birdies on Nos. 12, 13 and 14.

Giovanni Tadiotto closed out the scoring for the Orange and Blue on Day 3. The fifth-year senior shot a 3-over 75 on to close the week with a three-round total of 221 (+5), while junior Tommy Kuhl finished seven strokes behind Tadiotto in a tie for 47^th.    

Advancing to a 13^th-straight NCAA Championship momentarily moves the Illini into a tie for the longest such streak in the nation with Texas. The Longhorns, however, will have a chance to push their streak to 14 on Wednesday, as the current leader at the NCAA Noblesville Regional.

"The team is excited; they feel proud of their effort and happy that they continued the streak," Small added. "To make 13 NCAA Championships in a row is a pretty unique feat. It was something those guys wanted to continue. There is some pressure that comes with that, but they persevered through those expectations and played really solid. Shooting 14-under on this golf course is pretty good."

Also advancing along with the No. 4-ranked Cowboys (836) and No. 9-ranked Illini (850), are No. 21 SMU, which finished at even-par 864 as a team, No. 49 Sam Houston State (875), and No.55 Little Rock (879), which finished at 15-over to edge out No. 15 Auburn and No. 39 Baylor by just one stroke.

Next up, the Illini will begin preparation for the 2021 NCAA Championship. This year's event is scheduled for May 28 – June 2, and will be contested on the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.