Indiana men’s and women’s golf started their 2026 fall seasons Monday and Tuesday. The men’s team tied for 16th at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate, while the women’s squad finished tied for ninth at the Boilermaker Classic.
The strong showing for the women’s team was led by a 9-over-par performance by sophomore Saia Rampersaud. The Durham, North Carolina, native was 3-over-par after the second round but turned in a 6-over-par 78 performance Tuesday with three double bogeys.
The Hoosiers finished the 54-hole event tied with Western Kentucky University. The University of Miami won the tournament with a 10-under-par team total, with the University of Mississippi the only other program finishing under par.
Senior Katie Poots was the only Hoosier with an under-par round after shooting a 70 at the par-72, 6,411-yard Kampen-Cosler Golf Course in West Lafayette, Indiana. Poots competed in the Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler Women’s Irish Open last week as an amateur but was cut after a 5-over-par total across two rounds.
The Belfast, Ireland, native showcased good ball striking during Tuesday's third round. On the back nine, Poots recorded five birdies, including three consecutive ones between the 16th and 18th holes.
In total, Poots finished the tournament 11-over-par and tied for 36th. She placed three strokes in front of seniors Harriet Lockley — who transferred from the University of Alabama in the summer — and Sheridan Clancy. The senior duo finished 14-over-par and tied for 44th.
Lockley competed in nine events for the Crimson Tide during the 2025-26 fall and spring seasons. The Somerset, England, native won the Lady Paladin Invitational in September 2025 with an 8-under-par final score.
On Monday, Lockley turned in a 2-over-par first round and a 4-over-par second round score. However, Lockley couldn’t maintain her form in the third round, recording an 8-over-par 80. She opened her day with a double bogey on the sixth hole before recording a triple and then a quadruple bogey after 13 holes played.
Like most players finding difficulties in the third round, junior Cara Heisterkamp recorded a 12-over-par score. With eight bogeys or worse in the third round, Heisterkamp dropped down the leaderboard, finishing 16-over-par and tied for 54th.
In total, Indiana finished the third round with a 21-over-par team total, the second-worst of the round. The Hoosiers were surpassed by Abilene Christian University’s third round score of 34-over-par for the bottom.
Along with the team scores, freshman Zoe Arcus played in her first collegiate golf tournament as an individual. With her score not counting toward Indiana’s team total, Arcus finished with a 30-over-par final score but produced her best 18-hole total in the third round with a 5-over-par 77.
On the men’s side, Indiana finished tied for 16th with the University of Louisville at 14-over-par. The Hoosiers and Cardinals were part of a group of six teams that were over par during the 54-hole tournament.
The University of Tennessee ran away with the tournament due to a 14-under-par third round total. Three Volunteers finished under par, while Indiana senior Nick Piesen was the Hoosiers’ only representative in the red.
At Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee, Piesen produced under-par scores in the first and second rounds. His only setback was a 1-over-par 71 in the third round after his three birdies were counteracted by four bogeys.
Piesen finished the tournament 2-under-par and tied for 20th. He was the only Hoosier with an under-par 18 holes until junior Bradley Chill Jr. produced a 2-under-par performance on Tuesday.
Chill recorded three birdies on the back nine and only one bogey throughout his final 18 holes of the tournament. It was a bounce-back performance for Chill after he recorded two double bogeys in the second round.
Sophomore Jake Cesare finished one stroke behind Chill, totaling a 4-over-par score during the tournament. Cesare shot 4-over-par to begin the first round but regained confidence in the ensuing holes.
The Westfield, Indiana, native produced two birdies and two bogeys for an even-par second round. Cesare followed that up with another even-par performance. In the third round, Cesare bounced back from a double bogey, recording three consecutive birdies to close out his day.
Freshman Duff McKay competed in his first collegiate tournament, finishing 12-over-par and 87th. Coming out of St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas, McKay was over par in all three of his rounds but produced 10 birdies during the tournament.
Sophomore Caleb Schnarr rounded out Indiana’s performance in Knoxville with a 16-over-par finish. Schnarr’s 4-over-par third round was his best 18-hole score, as he finished 95th.
Indiana men’s golf turns its attention to the Highlands Invitational on Sept. 21-22 at the Chicago Highlands Club in Westchester, Illinois. Meanwhile, women’s golf will head south for the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational on the same dates at the University Club of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.
