HARRIS, Mich. — Ball State men’s golf coach Mike Fleck begins his 28th season leading the Cardinals’ golf fortunes, but the veteran coach begins a transition this weekend as Ball State begins a new season — minus a core of seniors who broke records and helped the club to first- and second-place finishes in the Mid-American Conference the past two seasons.
For the first time in four seasons, Fleck’s lineup will not include Kash Bellar, Ali Khan or Braxton Kuntz. Returning, though, is senior anchor Carter Smith who teamed with that trio to lead the Cardinals to an NCAA regional appearance in 2024. Smith played out of the No. 1 lineup position throughout the 2023-24 campaign and he enters this season as the clear No. 1 golfer to lead a cast of youngsters that Fleck hopes will grow and emerge as MAC contenders again.
This weekend features a visit to the Island Resort Collegiate on the northern banks of Lake Michigan and Green Bay. The tournament features 54 holes on the par-72, 7,375-yard course at Sage Run Golf Club. Ball State battles 11 other schools while fielding a lineup with Smith, junior transfer Cameron Young, sophomore Happy Gilmore and freshmen Luke Johnston and Samuel Harris. South Dakota State is the host of the event with the Cardinals joining Central Florida, Illinois State, Miami (OH), Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue, St. Mary’s (CA), UTEP and West Virginia.
Smith enters the tournament following a Ball State qualifying event which saw him set a course record at Delaware Country Club, firing a bogey-free 62 that included a 28 on the front nine! Johnston makes his Ball State debut in the No. 2 position following a second-place finish in the Indiana high school state finals last spring. In the No. 3 spot is Young who twice reached the NCAA Div. II regionals while leading the University of Indianapolis. Freshman Samual Harris debuts with Johnston and Gilmore completes the lineup. Sophomore Gavin Hare plays as an individual in the season’s first tournament.
Teams will play two rounds on Sunday, Aug. 31, followed by a single round of 18 holes on Monday, Sept. 1. Groups will tee off at 7:30 a.m., both days.
