ESTERO, Fla. – A record-breaking performance by the FGCU men's golf team produced a runaway team title on Tuesday afternoon as the Eagles won the 2021 Old Corkscrew Intercollegiate for the first time since 2013. The victory also marked the first for the program under head coach Andrew Danna and the first since the 2018-19 season.
 
Paced by a school-record third round where FGCU shot 17-under par (271), the Eagles narrowly missed the mark for the best 54-hole total in program history by three strokes. The Green and Blue's winning score of 840 sat 24-under par with Jacksonville taking second-place after shooting 864 to finish even.

"Today was remarkable – I'm so proud of our team and staff. We had a good game plan put together and they executed it really well today," said Danna. "For this to be the first win of our season, with this group of young men that make up our team, and on our home course, it's just really special."

 
The torrid pace was sparked by freshman Austin Cherichella (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona HS) who tied the school record for a individual low round as he carded a 64 to finish second individually – the first time since Edward Figueroa did so in 2012-13. He also joined Steven Taylor who originally set the mark in 2006-07. His eight-under par performance on Tuesday tied that duo for the school record against par as well.
 
All told, the quartet of Cherichella, senior Van Holmgren (Plymouth, Minn./Waysata HS/North Dakota State), sophomore Frankie Capan III (North Oaks, Minn./Northwest Christian HS/Alabama), and junior Brady Madsen (Raymond, Minn./MacCray HS/Winona State) all finished under par in the final round. Their scores of 64, 68, 68, and 71, respectively, combined for the second lowest team round in program history and the best since shooting 272 for a round in 2010-11.
 
The win marked the first time since 2013 that the Eagles won their home event hosted at Old Corkscrew and fourth overall since the first tournament in 2010-11. Both the 54-hole total and total score versus par were the second lowest in the events history behind the 2012 squad that was 27-under at 837.
 
After sophomore Jon Hopkins (Bishop's Stortford, England/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) highlighted the second round with a 65, Cherichella closed out the tournament with a spectacular performance on the back nine on Tuesday. The freshman hit the turn at two under before carding birdies on six of the nine holes just narrowly missing medalist honors by one stroke to High Point's Brandon Einstein who shot 69 in the third. In all, Cherichella had just seven bogeys on the 54 holes played over Monday and Tuesday.
 
Holmgren and Capan were just behind as both fired 68s on the day to finish third and tied for fourth, respectively. Holmgren carded five birdies and was par-or-better on 17-of-18 holes, while Capan built upon an eagle on No. 4 to take the turn at two-under. After a bogey on No. 14, he had three straight birdies before closing the round with a par on No. 18.
 
Madsen narrowly missed a top-10 finish by a stroke as he shot a one-under 71 on Tuesday. He also went two under on the front nine while adding two more birdies on No. 11 and No. 13. His only trouble of the day came on No. 14 with a double bogey.
 
After finishing Monday tied for sixth, Hopkins hit some early trouble in the first round with three double bogeys. After a birdie on No. 11, he had another double on No. 12 before closing the round with pars on five of the final six holes to finish with 80 on the day.
 
Other highlights for FGCU included junior Henry Tschopp (Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland/Western Texas College/Dodge City CC) finishing tied for 16^th with a 70 in the third round thanks to a three under performance on his first nine holes. Graduate Michael O'Brien (West Chester, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller HS/Saint Joseph's) shot 71 on the day to jump 17 spots, while senior J.T. Barker (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic HS/Northampton CC) had a one-over 73 to move up nine spots.
 
The tournament marked the regular-season finale for the Eagles as they turn their attention to the 2021 ASUN Championship Tournament hosted at the University of Georgia Golf Club in Athens. The event begins this Sunday, April 18 and will conclude on Tuesday, April 20.


 
FGCU 'A' Lineup:
2 - Austin Cherichella – 71-74-64 – 209
3 - Van Holmgren – 71-72-68 – 211
T4 - Frankie Capan III – 72-72-68 – 212
T11 - Brady Madsen – 72-76-71 – 219
T25 - Jon Hopkins – 79-65-80 – 224

FGCU 'B' Lineup:
T16 - Henry Tschopp – 73-79-70 – 222
T30 - Michael O'Brien – 76-78-71 – 225
T34 - Thomas Salanito – 76-74-76 – 226
T34 - J.T. Barker – 75-78-73 – 226
T54 - Tyler Carlson – 76-83-74 – 233

FGCU Individuals:
T56 - Chase Bigham – 79-77-78 – 234
75 - Mark Iwinski, Jr. – 87-93-83 – 263 

Old Corkscrew Intercollegiate Field:
1 - #69 FGCU (A) – 286-283-271 – 840
2 - #77 Jacksonville – 286-293-285 – 864
3 - #115 Jacksonville State – 290-290-296 – 876
4 - #137 High Point – 290-296-297 – 883
5 - #102 VCU – 300-299-285 – 884
6 - #149 Lipscomb – 293-298-294 – 885
7 - #157 Old Dominion – 298-298-290 – 886
T8 - FGCU (B) – 300-309-288 – 897
T8 - #182 Stetson – 300-301-296 – 897
10 - #152 Troy – 298-305-299 – 902
11 - #161 Florida A&M – 298-302-304 – 904
12 - #257 Bellarmine – 318-306-314 – 938
 
For complete coverage of FGCU men's golf, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram (@FGCU_MGolf), Facebook (@FGCUAthletics), and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's golf and all 15 sport programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.


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FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 40 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.