FAIRVIEW, Pa. – IUP men's golf closed out its final invitational before the conference championships this week, slotting fourth as a team at Gannon's Howard "Bud" Elwell Invitational. IUP finished with a two-round score of 613 at tricky Whispering Woods.  
 
Guillermo Salazar paced the IUP lineup with the eighth top-five finish of his collegiate career. Salazar was one of two players in the field to finish under par (-1), logging runner-up honors behind individual medalist Rasmus Seppanen (Gannon). 
 
In the team standings, the Crimson Hawks slotted behind Gannon (577; +1) and Millersville (603; +27). The Golden Knights ran away with the team trophy on their home course, paced by Seppanen's impressive -10 mark for the event. 
 
Salazar opened the event with a one-under 71 on Monday and was rolling along in round two before running into trouble on holes 15 and 17. Despite that, Salazar carded five birdies on Tuesday and managed an even-par 72, closing out a runner-up showing. 
 
Alex Swinnerton found his footing during Tuesday's second round with a one-over 73 that included 12 straight pars. He finished just outside the top 10 individually at 12th overall. 
 
Evan Lewis improved his score by six shots from round one to round two, landing 18th overall as an individual. He posted rounds of 81 and 75, registering five birdies on Tuesday. 
 
John Olsen (T25th), Ben De Castro (36th) and Trevor Todd (T37th) closed out the IUP lineup.
 
Team Leaderboard 
1. Gannon – 283, 294 (577; +1) 
2. Millersville – 300, 303 (603; +27) 
3. Gannon (B) – 306, 305 (611; +35) 
4. IUP – 307, 306 (613; +37) 
5. Pitt-Johnstown – 299, 315 (614; +38) 
 
Individual Leaderboard 
1. Rasmus Seppanen (Gannon) – 67, 67 (134; -10) 
2. Guillermo Salazar (IUP) – 71, 72 (143; -1) 
3. Mattia Parrini (Gannon) – 71, 74 (145; +1) 
T4. Eric Miller (Milelrsville) – 76, 70 (146; +2) 
T4. Timothy Peters (Millersville) – 71, 75 (146; +2) 
 
IUP Scores 
2. Guillermo Salazar – 71, 72 (143; -1) 
12. Alex Swinnerton – 79, 73 (152; +8) 
T18. Evan Lewis (individual) – 81, 75 (156; +12) 
T25. John Olsen – 78, 80 (158; +14) 
36. Ben De Castro – 82, 81 (163; +19) 
T37. Trevor Todd – 79, 85 (164; +20) 
 
Up Next 
IUP closes out the fall 2024 portion of the schedule next week at the PSAC Championships, set for October 18-20 from Iron Valley Golf Club. 
 
Follow 
For coverage of the IUP men's golf program, follow the Crimson Hawks on X (Twitter) (@IUPgolf), Instagram (@IUPmgolf) and online at IUPathletics.com.
 
 

---