West Dundee, Ill. -- The Wheaton men's golf team traveled to Randall Oaks Golf Club on Friday afternoon to compete in the Judson University Fall Invitational. This competition was the Thunder's second official contest of the new season and consisted of 23 teams with 124 total players. After a second-place performance at the Malone University Fall Classic last weekend, the Thunder went one better in today's tournament, as the A team finished first in the standings. Wheaton's "B" team came in third place in an excellent combined showing for the program, and senior Wyatt Brown won the individual competition as the day's top golfer.

Thanks to strong performances all around, the Thunder were able to secure the program's first competition win since September of 2024 and its first tournament victory that involved more than six participating teams since Wheaton last won the Judson Invitational five years ago. The Thunder's "A" team finished +1 overall today, a decisive seven strokes ahead of Aurora's JV squad in second place. The Wheaton "B" group earned a third-place ranking with a score of +10, entering the clubhouse three shots ahead of Edgewood College in fourth. The hosting Eagles' "A" team rounded out the top five teams with a +15 tally.

Brown led the Thunder and topped the solo leaderboard on Friday with a dominant performance. The All-Conference honoree (pictured right with head coach Jami Brighty) finished the competition with a final score of 67, four strokes under par, and won the individual prize with one of his finest rounds in Orange and Blue. 

His impressive play was followed closely by teammate Luke Pringle, who ended the round with a score of 69 (-2) to secure runner-up recognition. The two seniors were joined by "B" team participants Ryan McLain and Micah Chiong in the top five of individual standings, both of whom shot a 71 (E) to tie for third place.

Jackson Swartz notched a 12th-place finish with his 73 (+2) total, while Freddie Chan helped the "A" group with a solid score of +3 (74). He was closely followed by Henry Schlickman and Baylor Brogan, who ended with scores of +4. Tyler Wolterstorff and Noah Levengood rounded out the "B" team lineup with respective tallies of 79 (+8) and 80 (+9). 

After a successful day on the links, the Wheaton men will look to maintain their impressive form in their next event on the other side of this weekend. The Thunder head to Wisconsin on Monday for the two-day Firebird Fall Classic hosted by Carthage College at Ives Grove.