Men's Golf 9/22/2025 6:35:00 PM Pete Stein / MSU Athletic Communications

Mustangs scramble their way to sixth-place tie after two rounds of Dunning Invitational

WEST POINT, Mississippi -- Midwestern State, ranked No. 25 in the nation, completed the first two rounds of the Samuel T. Dunning Invitational at Mossy Oak Golf Club, and the defending champions are tied with Montevallo for sixth place after recording a team score of 21-over par.

Lee, ranked No. 5 in the nation, had a stellar day on the course, shooting 21-under par to take a commanding lead into the final round on Tuesday. The "B" team from Lee is second on the leaderboard, trailing by 25 strokes at 4-over par.

Lone Star Conference newcomer UT Dallas is in third place at 14-over par.

Delta State, the host school, is tied with Trevecca Nazarene in fourth place at 17-over par.

Midwestern State was the third-best team on the par-5 holes, shooting 11-under, but the Mustangs were 9-over on the par-3s and 37-over on the par-4s.

Nathan Nelson and Seth Bearden finished two rounds tied for 15th at 2-over par.

Nelson was playing in his first competitive collegiate tournament, and head coach Jeff Ray described his play as "solid in both rounds."

The sophomore from Gunter, Texas, started 4-over par through his first eight holes but battled back in the opening round to shoot even-par with five birdies and one bogey over the final 10 holes.

Bearden, who won the tournament last year, shot 1-over par in each round and was responsible for eight of the team's 27 birdies through the first two rounds of the 54-hole tournament.

Ryan Griff, playing as an individual, is tied for 17th at 3-over par with three birdies in each round.

Anniston McIlwain is 35th on the leaderboard after shooting 9-over par. Bryce Hoech and Hank Germany are tied with seven other golfers at 11-over par.

Germany eagled the par-5, 543-yard 10th hole in the first round, and the junior from Midlothian, Texas, was one of six players to card an eagle on the opening day of play.

"Our inability to consistently hit fairways led to scrambling to just make par," Ray said. "This course — the fairway is crucial."

The Mustangs tied with Southeastern Oklahoma State for the third-most bogies on the par-72, 6,967-yard course with 47 through 36 holes.

"Hopefully we can bounce back tomorrow and play more like we are capable of," Ray said. "This is a talented group — just needing more tournament experience."

The Dunning Invitational

Mossy Oak Golf Course
West Point, Miss.
Par 72 - 6,967 yards

Team Leaderboard

Pos	Team	To Par	R1	R2	R3	Total
1	Lee	-21	277	278	---	555
2	Lee (B)	+4	293	287	---	580
3	UT Dallas	+14	294	296	---	590
4	Trevecca Nazarene	+17	302	291	---	593
4	Delta State	+17	298	295	---	593
6	Montevallo	+21	294	303	---	597
6	Midwestern State	+21	299	298	---	597
8	Emmanuel (Ga.)	+23	293	306	---	599
8	UT Tyler	+23	290	309	---	599
10	Christian Brothers	+29	303	302	---	605
11	Union	+31	299	308	---	607
11	Mississippi College	+31	298	309	---	607
13	Spring Hill	+37	303	310	---	613
14	SE Oklahoma State	+50	323	323	---	626

Individual Leaderboard

Pos	Player	Team	To Par	R1	R2	R3	Total
1	Noah Farland	Lee	-7	70	67	--	137
2	Matthew Render	Lee (B)	-5	68	71	--	139
3	Bennett McNabb	Lee	-4	72	68	--	140
3	Drew Zielinski	Lee	-4	68	72	--	140
3	Tucker Wick	Lee	-4	69	71	--	140
6	Bentley Van Pelt	Montevallo	-3	70	71	--	141
7	Alex Hamm	Trevecca Nazarene	-2	72	70	--	142
7	Ty Werynski	Delta State	-2	68	74	--	142
9	George Cordall	Lee	-1	70	73	--	143
9	Tyler Durden	Lee	-1	73	70	--	143

Midwestern State Scorecards

1	Midwestern State	+21	299	298	---	597
Place	Player	To Par	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
15	Seth Bearden	+2	73*	73*	--	146
15	Nathan Nelson	+2	72*	74*	--	146
17	Ryan Griff (Ind.)	+3	73	74	--	147
35	Anniston McIlwain	+9	77*	76*	--	153
47	Bryce Hoech	+11	80	75*	--	152
47	Hank Germany	+11	77*	78	--	155

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Players Mentioned

Seth Bearden: 5' 10"; Senior; Right

Hank Germany: 6' 0"; Junior; Right

Nathan Nelson: 5' 9"; Sophomore; Right

Ryan Griff: 5' 9"; Sophomore; Right

Bryce Hoech: 6' 0"; Sophomore; Right

Anniston McIlwain: 5' 11"; Sophomore; Right

Players Mentioned

Seth Bearden
: 5' 10"; Senior; Right

Hank Germany
: 6' 0"; Junior; Right

Nathan Nelson
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; Right

Ryan Griff
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; Right

Bryce Hoech
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; Right

Anniston McIlwain
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; Right