April 20, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State's third round surge fell short Sunday afternoon at the Blue Course, finishing tied-for-eighth overall with an 885 (299-288-298) at the 28th annual Rutherford Intercollegiate.
Sophomore Geoff Vartelas (Cromwell, Conn.) fired a 70 in round three to propel him into the top-ten with a tied-for-ninth place finish. Vartelas' 4-over 217 mark powers past his 2013 tournament score of 236.
Sophomore Chris Houston (Gilford, N.H.) posted three-round total of 223 (76-70-77), matching his score from a year prior. Houston dropped to a tied-for-36th ranking on day two. Sophomore JD Dornes (Lancaster, Pa.) came up short in his pursuit of a back-to-back first place finish in the Rutherford Intercollegiate, closing out play tied-for-39th with a 224.
Junior Xander McDonald-Smith (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) shot his tournament-low round of 70 in the third to bring his two-day total to a 227. Junior Jens Talbert (Little Rock, Ark.) rounded out scoring for the Penn State starters, shooting a 229 to finish tied-for-57th.
Two Nittany Lion freshmen made their Rutherford Intercollegiate debut as individuals. Christian Elliott (Port Perry, Ontario) and Cody Cox (MIlford, Pa.) both tied-for-29th with 9-over 222 tallies.
Junior Ryan Worthy (Chester Springs, Pa.) bested his 2013 score of 234 by posting a 229 (77-78-74). Senior Shane Stewart (Dublin, Ohio) battled injury to finish with a 235 mark.
Minnesota crushed the 14-team field with an 8-over 860 team score to claim the 2014 Rutherford Intercollegiate championship. The 12-stroke lead proved to be too much to overcome, but Seton Hall made a run from 10th place on day one to earn the runner-up position with an 872 total.
Minnesota's Jose Mendez finished with a 6-under 207 three-round score to capture the individual crown, edging Seton Hall's Lloyd Jefferson Go by three strokes.
The Rutherford Intercollegiate marked the end of the regular season for the Nittany Lions. The team will head to the Big Ten Championship in French Lick, Ind. May 2-4.
Follow @PennStateMGolf on Twitter or like the team's page on Facebook to see inside pictures from this weekend's tournament as well as updates on the remainder of the season.