SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket men's golf team had an excellent first round at the Twin Ports Collegiate, and that momentum carried into Sunday as they maintained the top spot to clinch the event at Nemadji Golf Club.
 
Spearheading the 'Jackets was junior Conner Willard (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing), who after shooting a 71 in the first round, fired a 73 in the second round for a two-over 144, securing a first-place finish. Willard's round featured two birdies on the seventh and 11th holes, finishing the north course with a 38 and the south with a 35.
 
A total of eight Yellowjackets found themselves in the top 15, and one of them was freshman Blu Anderson (Amery, Wis./Amery). In impressive fashion, the Yellowjacket newcomer shaved seven strokes off his first-round total of 77 to card a one-under 70. Despite a bogey on the par-four third, Anderson would turn things around and rattled off four birdies, ending the day with a 36-34 split with a tie for fourth place.
 
The other tie for fourth place came from teammate Andrew Rude (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who carded a 75 on the day for a five-over 147 on the weekend. Trevor Durfee (Superior, Wis./Superior High School) remained consistent during the Twin Ports Collegiate, ending both rounds with 74 and finding himself in sole possession of sixth place as the Yellowjackets' top second-entry scorer.
 
In a tie for seventh place was senior T.J. Sitek (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who shaved three strokes from his first-round score of 76. Teammates Nate Burke (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld), Ian Bundy (Austin, Minn./Austin), and Seth Pettingill (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) would all follow with scores of 149, 150, and 151, respectively.
 
Freshman Jacob Walsh (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet) ended the tournament with a 20-over 162 for a tie of 19th place. Teammate Matt Nault (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) ended up shaving nine strokes from his first round of 86, ending with a 34-40 split.
 
Rounding out the group of 'Jacket golfers were Brayden Tyman (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) and Jenner Graff (Iron River, Wis./Northwestern). Tyman finished the first round with an 86 but concluded the weekend with a 77 for a 22-over 164. Graff would shoot an 89 during the second round, mirroring his efforts from the first round.
 
The Yellowjackets will now set their sights on the UMAC Preview taking place in Becker, Minn. Tee time at Pebble Creek Golf Club is set for 10 a.m.