Tee It Up: The Minnesota State men's golf team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in program history. The Mavericks open play at the KickingBird Golf Course in Edmond, Okla., Thursday, May 9.

Who's All There: Other teams joining Minnesota State at the event include: Central Oklahoma, Henderson State (GAC Champions), Missouri Southern (MIAA Champions), Harding, Southern Arkansas, Rogers State, Central Missouri, Winona State and Northeastern State. Additionally, individuals from Missouri Western, Arkansas Tech, Concordia and Southeastern Oklahoma will play in the event.

About the Course:  The KickingBird Golf Course is a municipal course that is a par-70 track playing to 6,944 from the black tees.

About Schmitz: Head Coach Alex Schmitz is in his third year as head coach of the men's golf program and his second  as the Director of Golf at Minnesota State.  For his efforts this year, Schmitz was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Men's Golf Coach of the Year.

Preseason Picks:  The Minnesota State men's golf team was picked fourth in the 2023-24 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Winona State gathered five first-place votes and was picked as the preseason favorite, followed by Bemidji State and Concordia-St. Paul.  Just 13 votes separated the top four teams, while 15 votes separated the Mavericks and fifth-place Minnesota, Crookston.

Last Time Out:  Minnesota State absolutely dominated the NSIC Championships April 19-21, shooting a 286-296-276--858, which was six under par. The Mavericks won the event by 23 strokes. Sophomore Max Brud won the event with a 69-73-70--212, while graduate student Ben Laffen shot a 72-74-67--213 for second. Freshman Karson Patten was third with a 72-74-69--215 while junior Alex Bradley was tied for fifth at 73-75-70--218.

Through 27 Rounds:  As a team, the Mavericks have played 27 rounds this year and their four-player scoring average is 292.1, which is six over par. The Mavericks have won three events this year.

About Belka:  Sophomore Marcus Belka - a Second-Team All-NSIC selection a year ago - shot a 73-69--142 at the Maverick Invite which was tied for third at the event... Belka added a 69 in the opening day of the Bemidji State Invitational as he shot a 69-74--143 to finish one over and tied for second...At the Missouri Western Holiday Inn Express Classic he shot a 75-70-71--216 which was three over par and good for a tie for 14th...Shot a four-under 212 (74-69-69) at the Tulsa Cup, finishing tied for third...Finished the fall season second on the team in scoring with a 72.6...He has played in two events this spring and for the season is averaging a 73.6... For his career, Belka has played in 42 rounds and has four top-five finishes, owning a career scoring average of 74.5.

About Bradley: Junior Alex Bradley shot a 74-70--144 which was tied for seventh at the Maverick Invite... The 70 is a career-low round... Bradley was tied for 23rd at the Bemidji State Invite behind a 79-72--151...Has played in every event this spring with his best finish coming at the NSIC Championships when he finished tied for fifth with a 73-75-70--218... Was named to the All-Tournament Team for the event... For his career he has played in 47 rounds and has three top-ten finishes while averaging a 75.8... For the season he has played in 27 rounds and is averaging a 74.7.

About Brud: Sophomore Max Brud turned in a pair of 71s to finish with a 142, good for a third-place tie at the Maverick Invite... At the Bemidji State Invite, Brud shot a 72-74--146 to finish tied for ninth... Was a First-Team All-Conference selection and was the medalist at the NSIC Championships after carding a 69-73-70--212... Was named to the All-Tournament Team at the championships... Tied for first at the NSIC Preview with a 67-74--141...Brud, who earned NSIC Golfer of the Week honors once as a freshman, has played in 35 rounds as a Maverick and has a career scoring average of 74.7 to go with six top-ten finishes... For the season he has played in 19 rounds and is averaging a 73.3.

About Darling: Sophomore Ryan Darling shot a 72-78--150 at the Maverick Invite... The 72 tied his career-low while the 150 was good for an 11th-place tie... Darling has played in eight rounds this year and is averaging a 77.0... For his career Darling has played in 22 rounds as a Maverick and has one top-ten finish and a career scoring average of 77.3.

About Gudahl:  Junior Braden Gudahl shot an 81-82--163 at the Maverick Invite... For his career he has played in 13 rounds as a Maverick and has a career scoring average of 80.1 and two top-ten finishes.

About Johnson: Senior Caleb Johnson shot a 78-72--150 good for an 11th-place tie at the Maverick Invite... For his career, Johnson has played in 43 rounds and has a career scoring average of 78.2... For the season he has played in four rounds and is averaging a 76.

About Klimek: Senior Jack Klimek - a Second-Team All-NSIC selection a year ago - shot a 72-70--142 at the Maverick Invite which was good for a third-place tie... Klimek finished tied for 16th at the Bemidji State Invite behind a 71-78---149... Has played in four events this spring with his best finish coming at the NSIC Championships where he tied for 19th with a 75-78-73--226...For the season he is averaging a 75.5 over his 24 rounds... Klimek, who has played in 78 rounds as a Maverick has three top-five and four top-ten finishes to go with his career scoring average of 76.2.

About Kuhn: Senior Terry Kuhn shot a 78-75--153 at the Maverick Invite which was tied for 18th... Kuhn matched his career-low with the 75... For his career he has played in 20 rounds as a Maverick and has a career scoring average of 73.3... For the season he has played in four rounds and is averaging a 75.8.

About Laffen: Senior Ben Laffen - a First-Team All-NSIC pick a year ago -  finished second at the Maverick Invite with a 72-69--141, good for three-under par... Finished tied for third at the Tulsa Cup with a 70-68-74--212 (+4)... Laffen finished tied for fifth at the Bemidji State Invite with a 68-76--144...  Finished t11th at the Watkins Invitational with a 70-73--143... Laffen turned in fourth-place finish at the Missouri Western Holiday Inn Express Classic where he shot a 72-68-66--206 which was seven under par... The 66 was a career low as a Maverick... Laffen, who has recorded a 79 or lower in 49 of his last 51 rounds, has played a team-high 103 rounds as a Maverick and owns a 13 top-ten finishes and 29 top-20 finishes to go with a career scoring average of 73.4... Was named the NSIC Golfer of the Week after finishing four-under-par at the Tulsa Cup shooting a 70-68-74— 212... Earned the award following the Maverick Desert Classic where he finished tied for 12th with a 75-71... Was the league's Golfer of the Week  following a 74-73-79--26 effort at the Show Down at Shangri-La.. Finished second at the NSIC Championships with a 72-74-67--213... Was a First-Team All-NSIC Selection and named to the NSIC Championships All-Tournament team...27 rounds and has an average of 71.9...Was the NSIC Golfer of the Year in 2022.

About Ordal: Has played in four event this year and is averaging a 75.6...Finished tied for 7th at the Maverick Desert Classic when he shot a 72-73--145... For his career he has played in 20 rounds and is averaging a 78.3.

About Patten: Freshman Karson Patten shot a 80-71--151 at the Maverick Invite to finish tied for 13th...Patten shot a 78-72--150 at the MSU-CSU Fall Brawl good for a tie for 18th... At the Missouri Western Holiday Inn Express Invite Patten finished eighth with a 72-72-70--214...Was named Second-Team All-Conference and the Newcomer of the Year by the NSIC ,,,,Shot a 72-74-69--215 at the NSIC Championships where he finished third...Was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the league championships...For the season he is averaging a 73.9 over his 25 rounds.

About Schrader:  Freshman Jack Schrader shot a 70-73--143 which was one under par to open his career as a Maverick... Schrader finished tied for 14th at the Bemidji State Invite with a 69-79--148... Schrader has played 13 rounds this year and is averaging a 73.9.

About Wagner: Junior Jake Wagner shot a 78-78--157 at the Maverick Invite... Wagner has played in 14 rounds as a Maverick and has a career scoring average of 80.5...  In four rounds this season he is averaging a 76.5.

About Werschay:  Sophomore Leo Werschay shot an 80-74--154 in his debut as a Maverick at the Maverick Invite... Werschay has played in eighth  rounds and is averaging a 76.6... Werschay transferred to MSU from Carroll College.

What Lies Ahead: The top five teams and the top two student-athletes not with a team from each regional will advance to the finals, May 21-25 at the Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge in Winter Garden, Florida.