MADISON — Coming into State ranked 14th of 16, River Falls boys golf put on a show against a great cast of Division 1 opponents, posting the team’s two best rounds of the year to tie for seventh.

River Falls started the event with a 300, the fifth best opening round at the event. The Wildcats’ 310 score in round two was another great showing, keeping the Wildcats in the top half of the tournament.

No surprise to anyone who has paid an ounce of attention this year, senior Ryan Swanson was exceptional once again. Swanson scored a 67 in round one, tying him for second with one round to play. His second round was not quite as sharp, scoring a 73, but it was good enough for a tie for fifth place at the biggest tournament of the year in the state’s top division.

Senior Jaxon Flanagan tied for 33rd, scoring a 76 in round one and 77 in round two. Junior Nolen Dado finished in a tie for 58th, scoring an 80 in round one and 79 in round two. Senior Archimedes Xiong was two strokes behind Dado in 72nd, scoring an 80 in round one and 81 in round two. Sophomore Jace Dougherty’s great round one with a 77 put him two strokes behind Xiong with an 86 in round two.

“I was thrilled. It was our best two rounds, score wise, of the year,” Coach Tim LaVold said. “The first round was amazing. Everybody played really well. Obviously, Ryan had a great day with his 67 and second place after day one. To be honest, I never imagined we’d play that well the first day at State, so it was everything I could have hoped for.”

Even in the Sunday practice round, it was apparent that the Wildcats were not feeling the pressure that other teams were. It was LaVold’s first time coaching at Wisconsin State, which takes place at University Ridge in Madison. He said Assistant Coach Trent Zuber was extremely helpful to the team in getting comfortable in unfamiliar territory.

“The guys were loose, they were joking, they were having fun. There wasn’t any sign of nerves from anybody the whole three days we were there. They just enjoyed being together,” LaVold said.

“To come out of there with a tie at seven, we really exceeded expectations for what we were kind of expected to do there,” LaVold said. “Super proud as a coach.”

LaVold said the State run has brought a lot of eyes onto their team, and he hopes it sparks interest for more students to join the golf team. He said they have already seen an uptick in involvement in the junior program at the River Falls Golf Course.

That excitement carries over to the returning team members as well. He said Dougherty, Dado and sophomore Broden Flanagan all have the potential to become leaders of next season’s team, and if golfers develop who can slot into the final two spots of the lineup, they can keep the momentum alive.

“The guys are excited. Any time you advance that far, you want to get back there, so I think it will get the guys working a little bit harder on their games,” LaVold said. “It breeds excitement throughout the whole community for golf.”