Alliance, Ohio -- Four months after last spring's CCIW Championship, the 2026-27 season finally teed off for the Wheaton men's golf team this weekend. The Thunder traveled to Ohio to take part in the 10-team Malone University Fall Classic, a two-round tournament played over Friday and Saturday. All 11 players on this year's roster participated in the competition, and Wheaton enjoyed a positive first showing of the fall schedule, as the Thunder's 'A' group was the runner-up in the team standings. The squad was led by Wyatt Brown and Luke Pringle, who each finished in the top ten of the individual leaderboard.

The hosting Malone Pioneers won this weekend's classic thanks to a two-day total score of 566 (-10), 27 strokes ahead of Wheaton in second place (593). The Thunder 'A' team edged Malone's 'B' lineup in third place by three shots. Wheaton's 'B' group came in sixth place on a two-round mark of 617, finishing the competition just one stroke behind Washington & Jefferson College and seven shots ahead of Walsh University's 'B' squad in seventh.

The All-Conference senior Brown was outside the top 15 of the solo standings following his first round 75 (+3), but he shot up the leaderboard on Saturday by carding a 71 (-1) score to tie for seventh overall on a combined tally of 146 (+2). Pringle (pictured right) shot even-par on Friday's opening 18 holes and secured a ninth-place finish on the 54-man leaderboard with a 75 this afternoon which gave him a weekend total score of 147. 

Micah Chiong, Wheaton's other All-Conference honoree from last season, paced the Thunder 'B' group this weekend with a two-round total score of 149 after respective rounds of 73 and 76 that put him in a tie for 12th place. Henry Schlickman was behind Chiong in a tie for 14th place by just one stroke in his collegiate debut thanks to round scores of 72 and 78. Freddie Chan shot a 75 on Friday and a 76 on Saturday to place 16th.

Baylor Brogan (74, 78 - 152), Jackson Swartz (70, 83 - 153), and Aidan Quinlivan (77, 77 - 154) were separated by one-stroke margins in a tie for 17th, tie for 22nd and a tie for 24th place. 

Noah Levengood carded round scores of 82 and 75 in his first appearance for the Thunder to register a 157 weekend total. Trinity Christian transfer Tyler Wolterstorff entered the clubhouse with a two-day tally of 161, while Ryan McLain finished the event one shot behind Wolterstorff on a 162 mark.

After a strong start to the new season, Wheaton has next week off from competition and will return to the links on September 14 when the team travels to Wisconsin for the two-day Firebird Fall Classic hosted by Carthage.