SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. – Southern Illinois men’s golf won its fourth Missouri Valley Conference Championship in the last eight seasons, and Edouard Cereto became the first Saluki in school history to claim medalist honors at the MVC Championships, shooting a 7-under par 209. He was also named MVC Newcomer of Year to go along with his honors.

The Salukis opened the tournament on Sunday by shooting a 10-under par 278, which was the best MVC Championship round in school history and eighth-best overall. Heading into Tuesday’s final round, SIU held a 14-stroke lead and won by a comfortable eight-stroke margin.

“I’m so proud of the entire team, all 11 guys, we have worked hard all year long,” SIU head coach Justin Fetcho. “This was a goal of ours from day one and to know we accomplished it feels amazing.”

Southern’s team score of 856 was its lowest score in school history at the MVC Championships.

In a field of 50 golfers, all five Saluki competitors finished in the top 18, with Leon Heitz (tied-8th) and Dain Richie (tied-10th) joining Cereto in the top 10.

Heitz’s eighth-place finish was best finish of the season. He led the tournament after round one with personal-best round of 67, matching the school record for low round at the MVC Championships. Cereto matched that effort with a 67 in round two. Richie recorded his sixth top-10 finish of the season.

Fetcho has now won three MVC titles as SIU’s head coach and believes that the team’s gradual improvement toward the end of the season is a testament to its resilience.

“That’s the staple of our program though is growth and improvement,” he said. “These guys took everything that was thrown at them throughout the year and they became better because of it.”

UP NEXT
With the tournament victory, Southern advances to the NCAA Regionals. SIU will find out its regional destination on May 1, when the field is announced by the Golf Channel at 2 p.m.