BROOKINGS, S.D.—The South Dakota State men's golf team travels to The Summit League Championship Monday in search of its first Division I league title in school history.
The 54-hole championship features 18 holes each day with tee times beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the par-72, 6,733-yard Sand Creek Station Golf Club in Newton, Kan.
The Jackrabbits, who finished third for the third consecutive season last year, come into the championship with the league's best stroke average and two Jackrabbits rank in the top five in stroke average in the league in junior Grant Smith (Johnston, Iowa) and freshman Felipe Strobach (Lima, Peru).
SDSU's stroke average of 297.4 is on pace to be the third-best in a single season at State and the lowest since the 2006-07 Jackrabbits shot a 296.65. Additionally, the Jacks played its toughest schedule to date, won the Jackrabbit Invitational and finished fifth in The Jackrabbit defeating then-No. 5 McNeese State and No. 42 Missouri.
The Jackrabbits have just two starters back from last year's tournament roster in Smith and junior Trevor Tobin (Brandon). Last year, Smith finished seventh and Tobin tied for 33rd.
Smith leads the Jacks and has the fourth-best stroke average in The Summit League with a 73.8. He collected a pair of top-5 and top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth at The Jackrabbit.
Tobin has collected two top-10 finishes this season, including a tie for third at The Jackrabbit, shooting a career-best nine-under par 210. He enters the tournament with a 75.9 stroke average.
Three rookies made the tournament's starting lineup for the Jackrabbits.
Strobach ranks second on the team and fifth in The Summit League with a 74.3 stroke average. Strobach was the runner-up in the Jackrabbit Invitational and has a top-five finish and two top-10 finishes.
Jaxon Lynn (Sylvan Lake, Alberta) has a 75.96 stroke average with his best finish coming at the Jackrabbit Invitational where he tied for 15th.
Rookie Alejandro Perazzo (Caracas, Venezuela) makes his debut in the league tournament after posting a 76.21 stroke average. His best finish was a tie for 19th at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate.