URBANA Ill.— The South Dakota men's golf team moved up three spots to ninth in the third and final round of the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate.  The Coyotes passed UC San Diego, Depaul and Loyola Chicago.
 
The rally was spurred by strong performances by Max Schmidtke and Nick LaMotte.  LaMotte managed three birdies in round three and posted a 2-over par 73 for the round.  His three-round score of 9-over par 222 saw him finished tied for 19^th overall for the event.  Schmidtke better LaMotte's round three score by posting an even par 71.  His score was the third best of any competitor on the day.  He scored four birdies on the round and posted a tournament total of 11-over par 222.  He finished tied for 26^th place, a 15-place improvement over his standing at the end of the day yesterday.
 
Logan Hamak was next for USD.  He turned in a 6-over 77 today, which saw him finish at 24-over par 237 on the day.  He finished tied for 61^st place.  Ryan Neff was one stroke behind Hamak with a 7-over par 78 for the day.  It saw him tied with Hamak for 61^st with a 24-over par 237 overall.  Cole Witherow also turned in a 7-over par 78 on the day, which saw him finish tied for 64^th overall with a 27-over par 240.
 
The Coyotes team score of 68-over par 920, saw them finish in ninth place in a tough twelve team field.
The Fighting Illini Invite field featured four Big Ten teams (who finished in the top four places), three Big East teams, and three mid-major teams that finished in the top three of their league last year. 
 
Illinois won the team race by ten strokes over Michigan State.  Illinois' Ryan Voois won the individual title by a stroke over Michigan State's Ashton McCulloch. 
 
South Dakota will head to the 2024 Summit League Men's Golf Championship next Sunday through Tuesday.  Follow @SDCoyotesMGolf on Twitter/X for live updates.