LIGONIER, Pa. -- The Kenyon College golf team finished its fall slate at the Tartan Invitational, a 15-team outing hosted by Carnegie Mellon University. The Owls finished the two-day event in eighth place after posting a team score of 926 (+62) over three rounds at the 7,168-yard, par 72 Laurel Valley Golf Club.

Just like their last time out, a strong final round helped Kenyon jump three spots in the final standings. The Owls entered the second day in 11th place but improved to eighth after shooting the fifth-best third round in the field. Overall, Kenyon shot 314 in round one and 306 in both rounds two and three.

Coming off a strong showing in last weekend's West Pines Collegiate that earned him North Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week honors, Jaiden Koonar led the Owls again while posting his best individual finish this season. The first-year carded a total of 222 after rounds of 76, 73, and 73, good for fifth out of 75 golfers. He was named to the All-Tournament team as one of the top seven performers. Koonar collected three birdies apiece in the second and third rounds, and he tied for the tournament's best showing on par 5s, shooting six-under with a 4.50 average.

Fellow first-year Jonathan Oakes posted Kenyon's next-best score. He bounced back from an 80 in round one with rounds of 75 and 77, finishing tied for 27th in the individual standings with a three-round total of 232. Individually, Oakes tied for the third-best marks on both par 3s and par 5s.

Just behind Oakes was sophomore Will Hulsey, who tallied 232 (81-73-79) to tie for 31st. His eight-stroke differential from round one (81) to two (73) was tied for the Owls' best round-to-round improvement.

Garrett Thesing also shaved eight strokes between rounds, bookending an 85 in round two with a 77 in rounds one and three. The senior's total of 239 tied for 57th in the individual rankings. Thesing notched one of just 16 eagles in the tournament, completing the feat on the final hole in the final round.

Emory University topped the team standings, winning the event with a final tally of 888 (+24). Methodist University was a close second with an 892 total, while the hosting Carnegie Mellon Tartans finished third with a score of 910.

When the Owls return in the spring, the team will be looking for a third straight top-three finish in the NCAC Championship as Kenyon looks to get back on top after winning the conference crown two seasons ago.