Trailblazers Finish Second at VU Spring Invitational; Chattin Claims Individual Title
JASPER, Ind. — The Vincennes University Men's Golf team delivered a strong performance in its home event, finishing second overall at the VU Spring Invitational, held April 12–13 at Sultan's Run Golf Club. The Trailblazers posted a two-round total of +43 (310-309), finishing just one stroke behind Oakland City University in a tightly contested event.
VU, ranked No. 28 in the NJCAA, entered the final stretch with momentum after trimming a three-shot first-round deficit and briefly taking the lead late in the second round before ultimately settling for runner-up honors.
"We had a good tournament, finishing second to a four-year school by one shot," said NJCAA Hall of Fame Head Coach Dennis Chattin, in his 22nd season. "When you're one shot away out of more than 600 strokes, there are a lot of places you can make that up. We just had too many big numbers. On a course like this, with tough pin locations and wind, those mistakes are hard to overcome."
Freshman Cameron Chattin led the way, capturing the individual title with a two-round total of +6 (74-76) to win the 60-player field. He opened the tournament with an even-paced round that featured an eagle and three birdies before responding on day two with an aggressive start, recording back-to-back birdies to begin his round and finishing with three birdies overall. "Cameron battled all week," Chattin said. "He was down two after the first round but came out strong the next day and played with confidence. It was a great effort."
Sophomore Kadin Gibson followed closely, finishing tied for second overall at +7 (76-75) with a steady two-day performance that included three birdies in day one and four birdies in day two, including a stretch of three straight birdies on holes six through eight. "Kadin was really consistent," Chattin added. "He put together two solid rounds and gave us exactly what we needed."
Sophomore Parker Steininger delivered one of his strongest outings of the season while competing as an individual, tying for sixth overall at +11 (80-75), highlighted by a second-round 75 that ranked among the best scores of the day. "Parker had his best tournament of the year," Chattin said. "That was a big step forward for him."
Freshman Kollin Kelsey finished tied for 14th at +13 (81-76), showing improvement in the second round, while sophomore Landon Gardner placed tied for 22nd at +17 (79-82). Sophomore Brock Naile finished tied for 33rd at +22 (82-84).
Competing as individuals, sophomore Matthew Mills placed tied for 42nd at +28 (87-85), freshman Zach Trtan finished 47th at +32 (88-88), and freshman Brayden Gough recorded a 46th-place finish at +31 (93-82), highlighted by a strong second-round improvement.
As a team, the Trailblazers remained in contention throughout, overcoming challenging conditions that included difficult pin placements and steady winds. Despite the narrow margin, the performance reinforced the group's competitive form heading into postseason play.
"The guys handled the conditions well and put us in position to win," Chattin said. "We were leading going into the final hole and just came up one shot short. It's disappointing, but it also shows what we're capable of."
The Trailblazers now turn their focus to the postseason, traveling to compete in the NJCAA Region 24 Championship, set for April 27–28 at Weibring Golf Club in Normal, Ill.
"All in all, this puts us in a positive position heading into regionals," Chattin said.
Join the Journey
As always, fans can keep up with the Vincennes University Golf squad all year long through a number of ways:
- X (formerly Twitter): @VUTrailblazers
- Facebook: Vincennes University Athletics
- Instagram: @VincennesUTrailblazers | @VU_MensGolf
- Youtube (live & on demand content): BlazerVision
- Website: https://govutrailblazers.com
