The Valparaiso men's golf team started its 2014-15 campaign on Monday with 36 holes at the Whistling Straits Intercollegiate in Sheboygan, Wis., ending the day in second place.

The Crusaders improved by 21 strokes from the first round to the second round, posting scores of 311 and 290 to end the day at 601, good for second place in the seven-team field. Valpo's second-round score of 290 was just +2 in relation to par as a team, the seventh-best team round in relation to par in program history. Youngstown State holds the team lead at 596, while a pair of Penguins are tied for first place individually.

“I was very pleased with the team's performance today for our first tournament of the year,” said Crusader head coach David Gring. “Despite playing through some challenging weather in the morning round, the guys bounced back with an energetic and strong afternoon round. Our team talks about improving score with each round, and the team really stepped up in the second round to help us narrow the gap on the first-place team. We are excited to play tomorrow and have a good start to our season.”

Senior Eric Winters (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward), one of two true seniors on this year's squad, led the way on opening day, posting rounds of 74 and 72 to end the day at 146, good for a tie for fourth place. He was joined in the top-10 by sophomore Nick Seitz (Xenia, Ohio/Carroll), who ended the day in a tie for seventh position at 150, including a second-round 70, and senior Joe Harris (Washington, Iowa/Washington), who registered rounds of 79 and 73 for a 36-hole score of 152, good for tenth place.

“Winters, Seitz, and Harris played very steady for us today on a demanding golf course,” said Gring. “All three of the guys played smart, with excellent course management and good putting.”

Sophomore Peter Webb (Madison, Wis./James Madison Memorial) bounced back from a rough opening round for a second-round 75 and enters Tuesday in a tie for 28^th at 162. Freshman Zach Cutler (O'Fallon, Mo./Timberland) debuted on Monday for the Crusaders and was one shot off of Webb's score, closing the day at 163, good for a tie for 30^th position. Cutler posted a 78 in the opening round, the second-best round among the five Valpo golfers.

Valparaiso closes out the Whistling Straits Intercollegiate on Tuesday with the final round of 18 holes.