Wheeling, W. Va. – When Wheeling University Head Men’s Golf Coach Rich Conwell put together the 2024 Fall schedule, he designed it to give his team a chance to see the competition they are up against every day. On Monday, they begin the all Mountain East Conference (MEC) trek when they open the regular season at the University of Charleston Invitational. With a young group heading into the season, the Cardinals are looking to gain experience as they climb the conference ladder.

The 2023 season was the start of this new era of Wheeling Men’s Golf, with four of the five regular golfers being freshman. The group took off right from the beginning, picking up top 10 finishes at all four of their regular season tournaments. They just kept getting better as the season went on, after picking up a 9th place finish at the Vulcan Invitational and a 10th place finish at the Golden Eagle Invitational in their first two tournaments. Their best performance of the season came at the Dr. Wally Edgell Invitational, where they took third overall and set the new single round team and individual record. Their confidence was flying high heading into the MEC Championships, but they would fall just short of their goal of making to to the finals of the event. They would finish ninth as a team and had one golfer finish one stroke any of reaching the finals.

That golfer was sophomore Phillip Halvorsen, who came within one stroke of being the first Wheeling Men’s Golfer to qualify for day three of the event since 2021. He was the leading Cardinal golfer at the event, finishing in a tie for 20th with a two-day score of 157, with his best performance being a 76 in the second round of competition. The mark was one stroke shy of his season round average of 77 over his 16 rounds played and he was the Cardinal’s leading golfer in four of their five tournaments during the fall season. After gaining more experience with an All-Freshman lineup in the spring, Halvorsen and his fellow sophomores look to continue to be leaders for the team as they look to take another step forward this fall.

The other emerging sophomore leader for the team is Ryan Courtney, who made history a season ago. At the Dr. Wally Edgell Invitational, he would be the one to set the new single-round record for the team when he shot a 65 in round two of the event. It was part of an all-around historic day for the team, as Courtney set the new combined two round record as well (134) while the team as a whole set the new single round record of 277 in that second round of play. Courtney would go on to finish tied for 38th at the conference championships and is looking to continue to grow in 2024. Mikail Darmawan also made history of his own during the spring, becoming the first Wheeling Men’s Golfer to ever be named MEC Men’s Golfer of the Week for his efforts at the Mount Union Invitational. He finished third at the event, shooting 75 on the par 72 course and was a key piece for the Cardinals throughout the season.

As they head into the 2024 fall portion of their schedule, the Cardinals have loftier goals for this year’s young team. Their goal once again remains to make the finals of the MEC Conference Championships, and with some talented new freshmen in the mix, Conwell is excited about the competition it brings. He said that after qualifying, there will be at least two new Cardinals making their debut this week as the team continues to push forward. His goal for the first tournament is to see his team make at least a top four finish amongst their conference opponents. These are the same players the team will be seeing throughout the 2024 season and he hopes the familiarity will drive them to continued success in 2024-2025.

The Course

The 2024 Charleston Golden Eagle Invitational will be played at the Edgewood Country Club in Charleston, West Virginia. The Par 72 course was first opened in 1972 and has served host to two West Virginia State Opens, six US opens, and several Amateur and Mid-Amateur qualifiers. It is the only course in the Kanawah Valley to feature bent grass trees, fairways, and slick, undulating greens. The course provides a challenge to its players and the Cardinals will look to come out strong to start 2024.

The Participants

The University of Charleston (host), Gannon, West Liberty, Wheeling, Fairmont State, West Virginia State, Glenville State, Winston-Salem, IUP, Davis & Elkins, Virginia Union, Johnson C. Smith University, Bluefield State, West Virginia Wesleyan, Emory & Henry, Livingston College, and Concord.

The Details

The University of Charleston Invitational kicks off with round one on Monday with tee times beginning at 9 AM. You can follow along with live results by clicking HERE.