MADISON, Miss. – Lane Hulse and Jack Hiluta both shot below par for the second straight day, helping the University of South Alabama men’s golf team earn its second tournament championship of the season Tuesday.

Hulse placed second in a field of 75 after posting a 1-under-par 71, while Hiluta carded a team-low 2-under-par 70 and tied for third as the Jags claimed the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate championship by a six-stroke margin.

McLain Leberte shot an even-par 72 at the par-72, 7,305-yard Reunion Golf and Country Club, Blake Kelley added a 73 and David Leathem recorded a 75, as the Jaguars fired a 2-under-par 286 in the second round to finish at 5-under-par 571 over the two-day tournament.

Due to tornado warnings in the area Monday afternoon, the event — which was originally scheduled to include 54 holes — was shortened to two rounds.

It’s the second team championship for the program, which ended the fall semester by earning the title at the Memphis Intercollegiate.  The last time the Jags picked up multiple regular-season championships was during the 2002-03 campaign, when they won the Cardinal Intercollegiate and Hillman Robins Invitational in back-to-back weeks.

“To win twice in one season is very special,” commented USA head coach Ben Hannan.  “In order to do that, every member of the team — whether they were here or at home this week — had to contribute.  I’m very proud of these guys and the work that they have put in to be able to accomplish this feat.”

The Jags finished six shots ahead of Southern Mississippi, which posted a 1-over-par 577 36-hole score, while first-round leader Southeastern Louisiana came in third three shots behind the Golden Eagles.  Ten of the 15 schools in the field — a group that included the Jaguars — were among the top 100 in the country according to the most recent Golfweek/Sagarin rankings entering play.

Second-round action began with USA up four shots on the field, with the Jags wrapping up their front nine.

“After they pulled us off the course yesterday, the guys knew that according to the live stats that they had a four-shot lead at 4-under par,” observed Hannan.  “In trying to build some confidence we stress the process, and they were committed to sticking with the game plan.  They knew if they did that, they would have an opportunity to win.

“Starting off David had a 15-footer on 18, which he birdied.  Lane knocked in a 15-footer for birdie, McLean was on the par-five 17th and he birdied.  Blake birdied too.

“They picked up where they left off yesterday, and were very much at ease with a relaxed focus.”

Hulse recorded a 5-under-par 139 total, finishing below par in a tournament — as well as with back-to-back sub-par rounds — for the first time in his career.

“We had a few weeks off, so I was able to work hard and put in some good practice time,” said Hulse.  “I was able to come out this week and hit the ball great for two straight days.  I finally got some putts to go in and took advantage of my opportunities.  The 68 yesterday was my lowest score going back to junior golf last summer.

“It’s an awesome feeling to contribute like that,” he continued.  “Any time you can go out and do your best to help the team win, that’s the ultimate goal, it feels great.”

The freshman birdied the 10th hole to begin his second round, and was still 1 under after answering a bogey with a three on No. 16.  Another birdie at No. 1 moved him to 2-under par, and he would add a fourth birdie in the round after carding a two at the 176-yard fourth hole.

Philipp Westermann of SLU was the only player in the field to finish ahead of Hulse, using a 2-under-par 70 in the second round to claim medalist honors with a 6-under-par 138 score.

Hiluta collected his team-best third top-10 finish of the season, posting a 4-under-par 140 over the 36 holes.  The senior has finished below par in each of his last three rounds, while it marked the sixth time in nine events this year that he has shot at or under par over the last 18 holes of a tournament.

Opening on No. 8, Hiluta posted birdie threes on his first hole as well as at the 314-yard 13th to get to 1 under.  Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 would give him four in the round, as his score was the lowest posted by a Jaguar on the final day.

“It’s a great feeling, obviously,” he explained.  “We tried really hard to get back to what we were working on this week, and get into the process of not worrying about the outcome.  I was just trying to play each shot as it comes as opposed to thinking about scores.  It’s a very good feeling to know that what we worked on paid off and that we came out with a good result this week.

“It was just solid golf, especially in those conditions where it got windy and we had the thunderstorm delay.  We just had to stay patient and make good swings.  It’s really gratifying when everybody is in the game; we weren’t throwing out high scores, everybody was there, which proves that we can play with anyone in the country.”

Leberte and Kelley each tied for 17th place with a 2-over-par 146 total;  it’s the second straight tournament the former has finished in the top 20, while the latter now has three top-20 performances on the season.  Kelley’s final round included three birdies and three bogeys, with a three on the 449-yard eighth hole helping him record his fifth round of par or better this year.  Leberte’s birdies both came on par-five holes at Nos. 17 and 3.

All three of Leathem’s birdies came on the back nine, with the first at the 447-yard 14th before adding two more on Nos. 17 and 18.  He would tie for 46th place with a 150 36-hole score.

“Obviously I’m very pleased with the guys,” Hannan stated.  “This was a different line-up than we used in the fall, and what that means is that there is a lot of talent on this team.  When they show up and play well, they can play with anybody in the country.”

USA will only have four days off before returning to action, with the Jags slated to conclude the regular season at Texas State’s Jim West Intercollegiate.  The three-day tournament in Victoria, Texas, will include three rounds in three days.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

—USA—

BancorpSouth Intercollegiate
Reunion Golf and Country Club, Madison, Miss.
Par 72, 7,305 yards

Team Scores: 1) South Alabama 285-286—571 (-5); 2) Southern Mississippi 290-287—577; 3) Southeastern Louisiana 284-296—580; 4) Central Florida 287-294—581; 5) Mississippi 293-289—582; 6) Middle Tennessee 292-291—583; 7) Louisiana Tech 293-291—584; 8) Central Arkansas 291-294—585; T9) UNC Greensboro 291-295—586; T9) Memphis 295-291—586; 11) UAB 297-291—588; 12) Vanderbilt 298-299—597; 13) Rice 294-305—599; 14) Mississippi State 300-308—608; 15) Jackson State 309-304—613.

Individual Leaders: 1) Philipp Westermann, SLU 68-70—138 (-6); 2) Lane Hulse, USA 68-71—139; T3) Jack Hiluta, USA 70-70—140; T3) Jason Millard, MT 73-67—140; T5) Steven Lecuyer, UCA 70-71—141; T5) Jonathan Randolph, Miss 74-67—141; T5) Colin Chapman, UNCG 71-70—141; 8) Brett Patterson, MT 70-72—142; T9) three players with 143;

South Alabama Scores: 2) Lane Hulse 68-71—139 (-5); T3) Jack Hiluta 70-70—140; T17) McLain Leberte 73-73—146; T17) Blake Kelley 74-72—146; T46) David Leathem 75-75—150.