Gardner qualifies for Nationals, Trailblazers take fifth at Region 24 Championship
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Vincennes University freshman Landon Gardner (Danville, Ind.) qualified for the 2025 NJCAA Division I Golf National Championships earlier this week at the 2025 Region 24 Championships at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill.
Gardner led the Trailblazers at the Region 24 Championships in the 54-hole, two-day tournament, finishing day one with a 77 in round one and an 80 in round two.
Gardner closed out his tournament strong Tuesday, posting a round of 77, including four birdies to come away with a tournament total of 234 and 10 birdies in the tournament.
Freshman Kadin Gibson (Franklin, Ind.) matched Gardner's start Monday, shooting a three-over par 75 in round one before ending the day with an 80 in round two.
Gibson closed out his tournament Tuesday with a final round 79 ending in a tie with Gardner, forcing a one-hole playoff.
Gardner came away with the win in the playoff, punching his ticket to the National Championships as an individual qualifier.
Freshman Brock Naile (Trico, Ill.) was the next VU scorer, finishing day one with a first round 78 and a 79 in round two.
Naile closed out his tournament with a final round 83, finishing with a total of 240 and placing 20th overall.
Sophomore Alex Nealis (Olney, Ill.) and freshman Parker Steininger (Vincennes, Ind.) rounded out the VU results in the tournament, with Nealis shooting an 81 and 86 Monday before closing out the tournament strong with a final round 82 to place 28th overall.
Steininger opened the tournament with a first round 81 before finishing with an 85 in round two and an 86 in the final round to place 31st overall.
The Trailblazers as a team shot 311 in round one, 324 in round two and came in with a team score of 321 in round three for a tournament team score of 956, finishing fifth overall.
Heartland Community College came away as the Region 24 Champions this season, finishing with a team score of 892, with Parkland College and Illinois Central College qualifying for the NJCAA National tournament.
Gardner joins Blake Arnold from Danville Area Community College as the two individual qualifier representing Region 24 at the 2025 NJCAA Division II National Championships.
Gardner will head to the National Championships, beginning Tuesday, May 20 and running through Friday, May 23 at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
TEAM RESULTS
Heartland – 289, 314, 289 – 892
Parkland – 297, 305, 296 – 898
Illinois Central – 305, 305, 304 – 914
Danville Area – 303, 313, 316 – 932
VINCENNES – 311, 324, 321 – 956
Lincoln Trail – 330, 326, 331 – 987
Lewis & Clark – 332, 336, 335 – 1003
Rend Lake – 335, 338, 337 – 1010
Southwestern Illinois – 351, 360, 343 – 1054
VINCENNES RESULTS
Landon Gardner (T12) – 77, 80, 77 – 234
Kadin Gibson (T12) – 75, 80, 79 – 234
Brock Naile (20) – 78, 79, 83 – 240
Alex Nealis (28) – 81, 86, 82 – 249
Parker Steininger (31) – 81, 85, 86 - 252