Myrtle Beach, S.C. – Sophomore Ivan Ninkovic carded Western Carolina's best final-round score with a 1-over par 73 to advance seven positions over Wednesday's final round at the 2024 General Hackler Championship, finishing in a team-best tie for 62nd at the par-72, 7,233-yard Dunes Golf & Beach Club. The Catamounts came home 13th among the competitive field after a 13-stroke improvement over the third round.
 
Ninkovic countered six bogeys with a team-best five birdies over the final 18 holes, turning from the back nine to the front at 3-over par for the day. The Pula, Croatia, product shot 2-under par on the front nine carding three birdies and three pars over the event's final six holes. Ninkovic charted a team-best 10 birdies at this week's tournament.
 
Fifth-year senior Magnus Pedersen came home in a three-way tie for 64th with a three-day score of 229, carding a final-round 7-over par 79 with redshirt senior Pablo Hernandez moving up three spots to finish tied for 70th overall at 231. Hernandez and Pedersen both carded seven birdies over the three days along the Grand Strand.
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five was junior Kiefer Bulau in a tie for 78th after shooting his best round over the final 18 holes with a 4-over par 76 with redshirt sophomore Josh Lendach finishing 79th at 244. Lendach was third on the WCU squad with six birdies including one on Wednesday.
 
Louisville's Max Kennedy held off Chattanooga's John Houk by a stroke to claim the individual medalist honors. Kennedy fired a final-round 69 for a three-day total of 208, while Houk climbed three spots into the runner-up position after shooting 68 over the final 18 holes for a final tally of 209.
 
In addition to Kennedy, Louisville also had the third-place finisher in Cooper Claycomb as the Cardinals pulled away from event-host Coastal Carolina to win the team championship by five strokes, 859-to-864. Southern Conference teams held the next three positions in the final team standings with Furman (865) finishing third, followed by ETSU and Chattanooga in a tie for fourth at 3-over par 867.
 
Up next, Western Carolina is slated for match play at the Sweetens Cove Intercollegiate, hosted by Miami (Ohio) at the Sweetens Cove Golf Club in Pittsburg, Tenn., March 25-26.
 
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13 – Western Carolina – 299 – 315 – 302 = 916 (+52)
T62 – Ivan Ninkovic – 72 – 83 – 73 = 228 (+12)
T64 – Magnus Pedersen – 76 – 74 – 79 = 229 (+13)
T70 – Pablo Hernandez – 74 – 83 – 74 = 231 (+15)
78 – Kiefer Bulau – 81 – 78 – 76 = 235 (+19)
79 – Josh Lendach – 77 – 80 – 82 = 244 (+23)