LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's golf team made program history this week, putting up a fifth place finish at the 2024 Sun Conference Championships. Played at The Grasslands Golf and Country Club in Lakeland, not only did Ave Maria earn the best finish in program history, but it also marked the first time Ave Maria outscored multiple teams at the conference's annual year-end event.

The first round proved to be the toughest, as the Gyrenes opened the Sun Conference Championships with a team score of 214. Senior Gabriel DeCasas had easily the best round for an AMU golfer, shooting a one-over 73. Ty Kaufman came in behind the senior with a score of 79, while both Alex Veneziano and Derek Callahan carded scores of 81 in their first rounds in Lakeland. 

Playing their second set of 18 holes on Monday, the Gyrenes showed marked improvement, dropping their team score by 15 strokes - tied for the best improvement in the field from round one to round two. This time, it was Veneziano that led the way, going under par for a score of 71. Matt Mullen dropped eight strokes off his score in a round of 75, while DeCasas and Kaufman rounded out the effort with rounds of 75 and 76, respectively.

Ave Maria's final round was one for the record books, as the Gyrenes fired the third-best round for the entire tournament, a two-under 286. AMU did not use an over par round in their team score, with a round of 70 from DeCasas - five birdies, one bogey and one double bogey - setting the pace. Veneziano, Kaufman, and Mullen all added even par rounds of 72, making the Gyrenes the second best team in the tournament on Tuesday.

Prior to the tournament, DeCasas and Kaufman were named All-Conference selections. DeCasas ended the tournament with an eighth place finish with a three-over 219. Veneziano added a top 15 performance with a 224, while Kaufman ended action with a 228. Ave Maria's strong Sun Conference tournament was rounded out by 54-hole scores of 230 and 239 from Mullen and Callahan, respectively.

Southeastern won a dramatic team championship on their home course, erasing a five-stroke deficit entering the final round to defeat Keiser by a single stroke. The Fire also rallied to win the individual title, as Nicholas Faraone shot a final round 69 to rally from two shots down and claim the crown by two strokes over Keiser's Isac Wallin, who entered the tournament as the nation's top ranked player.

The Gyrenes are currently one of the top 25 teams in the nation, putting Ave Maria in the at-large pool for the NAIA National Championships in May. AMU's finish ahead of Webber International, who ranked several spots ahead of the Gyrenes in the newest NAIA Coaches' Poll, only helps to bolster the Ave Maria case. The qualifiers for the national championships, held this year in Dalton, Georgia, will be announced by the national office in Kansas City on May 10.