Bryan Hackenberg, a senior from Denver, broke out of a slight slump this week and helped lead the Jayhawks to a top five finish in the Diet Pepsi Shocker Classic in Wichita. Hackenberg shot a three round total of 223 strokes, finishing in a tie for 10th place.

“Hack is back shooting the scores we need him to,” coach Kit Grove said.

After a slow start to the spring, Hackenberg said he was happy with his performance in Wichita.

“Obviously I’ve struggled this spring a little bit, so it was great for me to shoot a few good scores,” Hackenberg said.

The Jayhawks recorded the best team score of the day, jumping from a tie for seventh to fourth place and gave Kansas yet another top five finish this season.

“We took a step in the right direction this week,” Grove said. “Anytime you score the low round for the day you have to be pleased with that.”

Despite its best effort, Kansas was unable to avenge the loss it suffered to Wichita State in a playoff two weeks ago. Wichita State won the tournament by 12 strokes. Shockers’ golfers Dustin Garza and Tyler Gann finished in first and second individually.

“It was tough to grind through the wind the last two days, but we all pulled together to finish in the top four,” Hackenberg said.

Nate Barbee, a junior from Dakota Dunes, S.D., finished in a tie for fifth place securing his eighth top five finish of his junior campaign. Barbee, with rounds of 77, 71 and 72 recorded a team best total of 220 strokes.

The Jayhawks’ lineup also featured Blake Giroux, a sophomore from Omaha, Neb., who saw his first action in a tournament since September. Playing as an individual, Giroux capitalized on the opportunity and finished in a tie for 15th place.

Dan Waite, a freshman from Surrey, England, also finished in a tie for 15th place individually. He shot a 72 Tuesday, which was his best round of the tournament.

“Dan played solid again this week and that is really building his confidence,” Grove said.

Fellow freshmen Alex Gutesha, from Greenwood Village, Colo., and Chris Gilbert, from Simi Valley, Calif., rounded out the Jayhawks’ lineup. Gutesha finished in a tie for 26th place with a three round total of 228 strokes and Gilbert finished in a tie for 42nd place with a total 232.

Every team gets to drop the worst score by one player in each round and on the final day. Grove said he was happy with the score they dropped.

“We threw out a 76 today and that is pretty impressive,” Grove said. “We’d like all our scores to be 75 or below.”

Kansas will play in its final tournament before the Big 12 championship April 12 and 13 when the team heads to Columbia, Mo., to play in the Missouri Intercollegiate.

“We’re making improvements every week,” Grove said. “We’re getting better at finishing off rounds and becoming more consistent, so I’m excited about what we can do in Columbia.”

The Jayhawks are looking forward to next week especially after Tuesday’s performance.

“We still haven’t played to our full potential this year and if we do we can definitely win the whole tournament,” Hackenberg said.

— Edited by Kirsten Hudson