Wartburg eighth after opening weekend

ALTA – A strong turnaround April 17 helped move Wartburg College within striking distance of the top five at the 2011 Iowa Conference Championships.

Coach Alan Johnson's Knights, opening with a rugged 340 score April 16, recorded the fifth-lowest 18 on day two at 308 to have the biggest improvement in the field from round one to round two. The Orange and Black's 648 remains eighth but is only 12 strokes out of the top six and just 15 from the top five with the final two rounds remaining Friday and Saturday, April 29 and 30.

Along individual lines, a pair of Wartburg players is in the top 25. Senior Michael Dominick of Bayside, Calif., is tied for 11th (156) and three strokes shy of the top six. Freshman Jared Thill of Pleasantville stands in a tie for 21st (160) and is four shots removed from the top 10.

Wartburg resumes its spring schedule with its home invitational Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23. Centennial Oaks Golf Course in Waverly is the host course.