NEWTON, Kan. – Freshman Kevin Gordon came to UNO with an impressive golf resume, and he burnished those qualifications in his first collegiate season as the individual medalist at the Summit League Championship on Tuesday.  

Gordon tied a team season best with a four-under final round of 68 to finish first in the 45-player field with a career best score of 216, even par for the tournament. He put up five birdies including three on the inward nine to nail down the top spot.

By finishing first overall, Gordon qualified for the NCAA Regionals, becoming the first Maverick to do so in the team's first year of eligibility.  He also became the first Maverick to earn individual medalist honors in a Division I tournament.

Picked to finish seventh out of nine teams in the pre-season coaches' poll, the Mavericks exceeded expectations by finishing second with a score of 889, their highest finish in the championship.  Their final round team score of 287 tied a school record and helped them hold off Western Illinois which finished third at 891.

Pre-season favorite South Dakota State won the championship with a 54-hole team score of 878.

Ben Maskus finished in a three-way tie for second at 217 after closing with a final round score of 69, three under par.  Like Gordon, he was sharp on the back nine with birdies on four of the last six holes.

Both Gordon and Maskus got hot at the right time, becoming the first Mavericks to finish in the top 10 and top five in a tournament this season.

Mitch Ryan was third for the Mavericks and in a three-way tie for 12th with a score of 224 that included a one-over-par final round of 73.

Sam Musch shot his second consecutive round of 77 on Tuesday to finish at 234, good for a tie for 33rd overall.  Cameron MacGregor completed the scoring with a final round of 80 that gave him an overall score of 236.  He finished in a tie for 36th.

The NCAA Regionals will be held May 16-18 with the site to be announced.