Final Results

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The IUPUI men's golf team finished the Don Benbow Invitational tied with Appalachian State at 585, but had to settle for a runner-up finish as the tournament was decided by a scorecard playoff. Freshman Juan Diego Plasencia placed second of 74 players at 143 (71-72) and junior Michael Powell tied for third at 144 (71-73).

The Jaguars had a five-shot lead heading into Tuesday's final round, but was unable to hold the advantage.

"We didn't play to our potential today, and our potential is to have everybody under par," Powell said. "Yesterday, we had one player under par and today we didn't have anybody break par. To me, that's just not very good golf. If we had played to our potential, it wouldn't have come down to a playoff."

Typically, tournaments are decided by taking the top four scores among the five-player lineup. With both IUPUI and Appalachian State tied, the final outcome was decided by virtue of the No. 5 players' scores.

"I liked how we took it today. We were definitely upset we didn't win it, but I know that we're going to keep being there again and again and again. We're going to continue to put ourselves in the best position to win," Powell said.

"We would've liked to have gone out and played it off," IUPUI Head Coach John Andrews said of the outcome. "If for no other reason, it's an opportunity to bond as a team. I played in a playoff in college and I remember it vividly. I wanted our guys to have that same opportunity.

"I hope this burns in their guts a little bit though. We were disappointed."

Plasencia finished five shots behind Appalachian State's Josh Nichols, who coasted to medalist honors at 138. Powell was part of a four-way tie for third-place.

"Juan D. has really worked on his physical conditioning," Powell said of the Mexico-native. "He worked out really hard over the winter and is hitting it more consistent. I don't know if he's hitting it any further, but he's in total control of his motions.

"My putting started off slowly, but I was able to fix it between rounds, which is huge for me. My short game is surprisingly good right now for having not been outside yet."

Juniors Ben Engle and Michael Davan finished the tournament tied for 20th at 149 and senior Ben Moster rounded out the quintet at 161. Moster suffered an injury on the 12th hole of Monday's round, but was able to gut out Tuesday's 18 holes.

Freshman Jose Pablo Segurola carded a 160 (76-84) while playing as an individual and junior Philip Wirkkala closed at 167 (79-88).

IUPUI will continue its busy spring break on Wednesday when it plays Butler, Eastern Illinois and Green Bay head-to-head at Windsor Parke Golf Course.

Team Results
#t-1. Appalachian State - 291-294=585 (+17)
t-1. IUPUI - 287-298=585 (+17)
t-3. Cleveland State - 295-296=591 (+23)
t-3. Georgia Southwestern - 295-296=591 (+23)
5. Green Bay - 297-311=608 (+40)
t-6. Bradley - 308-302=610 (+42)
t-6. Creighton - 299-311=610 (+42)
8. Florida A&M - 307-304=611 (+43)
9. Butler - 309-304=613 (+45)
10. Alabama State - 308-316=624 (+56)
11. Eastern Illinois - 312-320=632 (+64)
  # won on a scorecard playoff

Individual Results
2. Juan Diego Plasencia - 71-72=143 (+1)
t-3. Michael Powell - 71-73=144 (+2)
t-20. Ben Engle - 70-79=149 (+7)
t-20. Michael Davan - 75-74=149 (+7)
t-56. Ben Moster - 82-79=161 (+19)
*t-51. Jose Pablo Segurola - 76-84=160 (+18)
*t-69. Philip Wirkkala - 79-88=167 (+25)