Despite trailing by 10 strokes entering the final round of play, WKU men's golf rallied past Murray State with the lowest third round in the field, shooting a three-over 291 to capture the team championship at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate in Sevierville, Tenn. by three shots on Tuesday.
The Hilltoppers logged a three-round total of 12-over 876 (288-297-291) en route to the championship, the team's first since capturing the title at the Dayton Flyer Invitational on Oct. 15, 2013. The tournament win was also the team's second under head coach Phillip Hatchett of Russellville.
"Everyone played really solid golf today, in particular Stuart Easton," Hatchett said. "Stuart birdied three of his last six holes to help pull us into the lead. The golf course played really tough today; there was a lot of wind and a lot of slope in the greens, so I was very proud of the way the guys fought back."
Blake Smith continued his strong freshman campaign by leading the WKU card with the first top-five finish of his career and third top-10 of the season. Smith's even-par 72 in the final round on Tuesday pushed the Knoxville, Tenn., native into a tie for fourth place overall on the individual leaderboard. Smith's 218 matched his third-lowest 54-hole total of the season.
Austin King earned his first top-10 of the 2015-16 season on Tuesday, using a three-over 75 in the final round to tie for ninth place. King's two-under 70 in the opening round of Sunday matched his second-lowest round of the year.
One of the biggest movers of the day, Stuart Easton charged up the leaderboard with an even-par 72 after tallying birdies on three of his final six holes. Easton matched Smith for WKU's low round of the day, and his tie for 11th place marks the best finish of the freshman's collegiate career thus far.
Sophomore Billy Tom Sargent also logged a top-15 finish for the Hilltoppers, tying for 14th in the field of 78 players. Sargent shot no higher than a 75 in his three rounds on The Sevierville Golf Club, joining King as the only Hilltoppers to accomplish the feat this week. The Georgetown, Ky., native finished in the top 15 for the third time this year.
Rounding out the card for WKU was Trey Aguirre, who enjoyed his best round of the tournament on Tuesday with a one-over 73. Aguirre tied for 63rd overall, but improved 13 strokes from his first round to his third.
"I never had any doubt about these guys' ability to come back after Monday," Hatchett said of the team's performance. "I'm just really proud of the way that they fight. They're tough and they believe that they can come back from anything."
Bryant Evans also competed as an individual for the Hilltoppers, earning a solo finish in 57th with a 54-hole total of 235 (78-79-78).
Bobby Nichols, 79, is a Louisville native who won a dozen PGA events, including the PGA.
WKU will be back in action in two weeks as the Hilltoppers head west for the Cowboy Classic hosted by Wyoming at the Whirlwind Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., on April 4-5.
WKU Final Results
T4. Blake Smith (+2, 218, 67-79-72)
T9. Austin King (+3, 219, 70-74-75)
T11. Stuart Easton (+4, 220, 76-72-72)
T14. Billy Tom Sargent (+5, 221, 75-72-74)
T63. Trey Aguirre (+22, 238, 86-79-73)
57. Bryant Evans (+19, 235, 78-79-78) - Indiv.