May 4, 2006

Indianapolis, IN -- Northern Illinois University's Jared Steger (Winnetka / New Trier) shares the lead for Mid-American Conference men's golf medalist honors at the halfway point of the league meet.

The Huskie sophomore and Eastern Michigan University's Bryan Haase have both tallied two-under-par 140s following Thursday's (May 4) start for the three-day MAC Championships being contested on the par-72, 6,994-yard Brickyard Crossing Golf Course. Defending champion Kent State University claimed the lead after the morning's opening round with a 286 and followed up with a 289 in the afternoon for a 575 that puts the Golden Flashes five strokes ahead of tourney host Ball State University. BSU's 580 has the Cardinals five strokes up on third-place squad Eastern Michigan with the University of Akron one stroke back at 586.

Part of a three-way tie for fifth place at 587 -- just 12 strokes behind the top team -- is Northern Illinois along with Ohio University and Miami (OH) University. The University of Toledo (592) and Bowling Green State University (605) complete the field competing in the shadows of the famed Indianapolis 500 Speedway. The third round begins at 8 a.m. (EDT) Friday (May 5) with the final 18-hole tour taking place on Saturday (May 6).

"Jared's done a real solid job and had his short game working really well," NIU coach John Cleary said. "As a team we're also in good shape. It's still tight enough that a good round will put us into the thick of the title hunt."

Individually, Steger and EMU's Haase shared the lead after the morning with both golfers registering three-under-par 69s followed by 71s in the afternoon session. Akron's Vaughn Snyder and Kent State's Tommy Wiegand are next in line with identical 142 scorecards while Ball State's C.D. Hockersmith and KSU's Tom Ballinger both sport scorecards of 143 to share fifth plac. A trio of golfers are tied for seventh with another threesome sharing the 10th slot.

For Northern Illinois, Zach Jecklin (Bloomington) is next in line and is tied for 13th with a 146 after posting rounds of 72 and 74.

"Our sophmores are leading the way for us so far. Jared hit a lot of solid shots and made several birdies. His short game really saved him, but he also didn't make any real mistakes," Cleary noted. "Zach struggled some on the front nines shooting 40 in the morning and the afternoon, but he came back strong on the back nine. In the morning he had a 32 with three straight birdies and then came back with a 34 in the afternoon."

Huskie senior Nick Schenk (Batavia) shares 26th having compiled a 150 with rounds of 73 and 77 while fellow senior Ethan Roush (Decatur / Mt. Zion) is tied for 29th with a 151 (74-77). Freshman Alex Wagner (St. Charles / East) part of a tie for 37th with his 153 (76-77).

"Nick struggled a little with his putting game today, but that's something he can correct. If he comes back strong and Ethan and Alex fight back, we can have the kind of round as a team that puts us right back in the chase," Cleary added.

MEN'S COLLEGIATE GOLF -- Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference Championships / at Indianapolis, IN / Brickyard Crossing Golf Course / First-Day 36-Hole Results / Thursday / May 4, 2006

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS (at Indianapolis, IN / Brickyard Crossing Golf Course / Par: 72 / Yardage: 6,994)

FIRST-DAY 36-HOLE TEAM STANDINGS: 1---Kent State (286-289) 575; 2---Ball State (290-290) 580; 3---Eastern Michigan (291-294) 585; 4---Akron (293-293) 586; 5--(Tie)--Northern Illinois (288-299) 587 / Ohio (292-295) 587 / Miami-OH (289-298) 587; 8--Toledo (291-301) 592; 9--Bowling Green State (303-302) 605.

FIRST-DAY 36-HOLE INDIVIDUAL LEADERS: 1--(Tie)--Jared Steger (NIU) 69-71---140 / Bryan Haase (Eastern Michigan) 69-71---140; 3--(Tie)--Vuaghn Snyder (Akron) 71-71---142 / Tommy Wiegand (Kent State) 73-69---142; 5--(Tie)--Tom Ballinger (Kent State) 72-71---143 / C.D. Hockersmith (Ball State) 70-73---143.

OTHER HUSKIE SCORECARDS: T13---Zach Jecklin 72-74---146; T26---Nick Schenk 73-77---150; T29--Ethan Roush 74-77---151; T37---Alex Wagner 76-77---153.

(For further information, please contact Steve Nemeth) --NIU--