PRINCETON, N.J.- The Rutgers men's golf team completed the Princeton Invitational, where they found plenty of success leading up to the Big Ten Tournament, finishing second overall in the team standings.
 
The Scarlet Knights delivered a strong performance, placing four golfers inside the top-25 at the tournament.
 
Team captain senior Weston Jones and freshman Bennett Espenshade led the way, each securing a spot in the top-10 with matching sixth-place finishes. Grad student Noah Kumar and sophomore Derek Gutierrez also impressed, finishing inside the topi25 to cap off a great team showing.
 
Playing through cold and rainy conditions all weekend made the performance even sweeter.

"The conditions on the first day were the story, it was a wet course and felt below freezing," said Head Coach Rob Shutte. "I felt our grittiness was key, we're a tough team overall and mentally, the guys were very locked in to try and compete,"

That toughness was especially evident in the performances from Jones and Espenshade.

"It was all about staying mentally tough out there, especially in some of those conditions," Jones said.

Espenshade reflected on his round with optimism:

"I was pretty happy with it. It felt great to be back in contention again—and to be in contention for the first time in college. I was proud of how I bounced back after a rough start on day two."

Four top-25 finishes were just what the doctor—or in this case, Coach Shutte—ordered.

"We knew we were one of the best teams heading in, and it was great to see a few guys rise to the top of the field," he said.

With the regular season now wrapped, Rutgers sets its sights on the Big Ten Tournament, hosted in Baltimore, Maryland, from Friday, April 25 to Sunday, April 27.