2024 Illinois College Men’s Golf Season Preview

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois College men's golf team is gearing up to open the 2024 spring season. The Blueboys enter their fourth year as a member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) which will have 13 teams compete in the conference this season. 

The 2024 Men's Golf SLIAC Championships will be hosted at Metamora Fields Golf Course on April 28-30th in Metamora, Illinois. 

2023 Fall Season Recap:
As a team, the Blueboys recorded a team scoring average of 309.2 where only seven teams averaged better than IC. In the fall, the Blueboys achieved a lowest team score of 295 on the first day at the Midwest Region Tournament and had six student-athletes average 79 or below.   

2024 Season Preview:
The Blueboys return 12 student-athletes while adding three first-years to the mix. The top returners include a First-Team All-SLIAC selection in Cole Bartels. Other notable returners include Jarrett James and Samuel Frericks. IC has four seniors on this year's squad that included Dane Huber, Andrew McKillip, Frericks, and Peter Hauser. 

Bartels, a junior from Katy, Texas enters the 2024 spring season coming off a scoring average of 78 with a lowest round of 74 at the Jacksonville Invite from the fall. In the spring season of 2023, Bartels was selected to the First-Team All-SLIAC team. 

Jarrett James, the Hopper Award winner from the academic year 2022-23, which is given to the most outstanding Male Athlete at Illinois College enters the 2024 season as the number one on the team. In the fall, James recorded the lowest scoring average on the team with an average of 75.3 with a low round of 69 at the Midwest Region Tournament. In the 2021-22, Jarrett was named Newcomer of the Year and a First-Team All-SLIAC selection.

Frericks, a senior from Quincy, Illinois enters the 2024 season coming off his best round of his career in the fall with a low score of 70 which was achieved at the Highland Springs Championships.  

Hauser, a Jonesboro, Illinois native, enters the 2024 spring season with the third best scoring average on the team with an average of 78.65. In the fall, Hauser earned a 23rd overall finish at the Butts Classic hosted by Millikin University that included a low round 73.

Huber, a 2022 SLIAC All-Academic selection, enters his final season of collegiate golf. In the fall, Huber recorded the fourth best scoring average with an average of 78.94. In addition, Huber earned a tie for 17th overall at the Aurora Fall Invite with a low round of 77.   
  
The Blueboys will open the 2024 season on the road participating in Illinois Wesleyan University Invite on April 5-6 at Ironwood Golf Course and Weibring Golf Course in Bloomington, Illinois.