HARRISON, Ohio - The Franklin men's golf team collected their first team win of the fall over the weekend, leading wire-to-wire and besting a five-team field at the Stateline Shootout, hosted by Mount St. Joseph University.
Franklin put three players in the top-six individuals and won the event by four shots with a team score of 620 (303-317), fighting through swirling winds and changing weather conditions to hold off hard-charging Mount St. Joseph and Wabash for the top spot. With the tournament win, Franklin head coach Curt Holcroft moved into double-digits with his 10th event title as the program's leader.
Sophomore Alan Showalter was the first of two players to make the all-tournament team. The Lexington, Ky.-native took second place overall and finished one shot off the top position, carding a 149 (73-76). Showalter's round one 73 tied him with Wabash's Ben Kiesel for the low round of the weekend. Right behind Showalter was senior Jackson Williams, who joined his teammate on the all-tournament team with a 152 (74-78), giving him a share of third place.
Junior RJ Turner just missed out on an all-tournament nod but did record his best finish of the fall with a sixth-place finish and a 154 (74-80). Juniors Brock Tennyson (82-85) and Evan Graham (84-83) rounded out the top-five with identical scores of 167 and a share of 22nd place.
The Grizzlies' second five was headed up by sophomore Lucas Thornton, who carded a 159 (80-79) to earn a share of 12th place and earn a career-best finish. Freshman Evan Bonnell wasn't far behind, shooting 162 (79-83) to tie for 16th place. Senior Aubrey Seaman was one shot back of Bonnell and earned a tie for 19th with a 163 (84-79). Freshman Carter Giggy took 25th with a 168 (82-86) and fellow rookie Conner Williams placed 35th with a 182 (91-91). Franklin had two individuals compete as individuals with freshmen Canyen Palmer (85-86-171) and Nagib Afani (88-88-176) placing 27th and 32nd, respectively.
The fall campaign rolls on for the Grizzlies next Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 28-29), when the team makes the short trip to Hanover, Ind. for the Hanover Invitational.
