Milwaukee, Wis. --  After day one of play at the 2022 CCIW Championship, the Wheaton men's golf team sits in fourth place in the nine-team event. A solid showing from the Thunder across 36 holes saw the squad post a total score of 617 on Friday, putting Wheaton ten strokes behind third-placed North Park and five shots ahead of Millikin in fifth. Dalton van Esselstyn maintained his fine form for the Thunder in today's competition, as the junior carded a combined score of +8 through the first two rounds, a tally good enough to lead the team and finish the day in the top ten of the individual standings.

Van Esselstyn had the third-lowest score of any golfer in the field after the first round, but a second-round 78 cooled off his pace slightly. Fellow junior Danny Gronseth is not far behind after the first day of action, currently tied for 15th in the individual competition with a two-round total of 152 (+10). Consistency was the name of the game for Gronseth today, as he carded a 76 in both rounds. Jonah Swartz, Calvin Block, and Sam Obitts all lowered their tallies in the second round this afternoon to help move Wheaton up the team leaderboard. Swartz ended the day with a total score of 157, putting him five shots behind Gronseth, while Block came in just one spot behind Swartz with a 158 mark. Obitts earned an even 160 after shooting a 79 in the afternoon round.

The conference event concludes tomorrow in Milwaukee, and while the tournament organizers will be keeping a close eye on the weather throughout the day amidst discouraging forecasts, tee-off times are currently set for 8:00 AM on Saturday morning.