STORM LAKE, Iowa (Sept. 20, 2025) - Seniors Mason Laven and Matthew Turpen carded opening rounds of 73 on Saturday on their home course, and the duo has helped position the Buena Vista men's golf team atop the overall team race after a 299.

Laven was sitting at 2-under par going into his final two holes of the day but had a bit of a rough finish with a double-bogey on No. 8, which was his 17th hole of the day before a bogey on the ninth to close out his day. He started his day with a 34 on his first nine holes, which included three birdies, before adding another birdie on No. 5.

Turpen, meanwhile, had a pair of birdies and three bogeys on his round to go along with 14 pars.

Junior Gabe Kramer is only two shots behind Laven and Turpen after his round of 75. He started the day with a 1-under 35 on his first nine holes before he finished with bogeys on four of his final five holes of the day.

Seniors Carson Krogulski and Kaleb Sander each turned in rounds of 78 and find themselves tied for 17th. Both individuals birdied the par-4 seventh hole which was also the third birdie of the day for Sander.

As a team, BVU chalked up a season-high 14 birdies in the round and leads North Iowa Area Community College by three shots in the team race. Simpson College is in third and seven shots off the pace.

Laven and Turpen are both one shot behind individual leader Heath Voigt of NIACC. A total of eight golfers are within three shots of the lead heading in Sunday's final round.

The BVU ‘B’ Team was led by sophomore Reid Haney, who turned in a 78, which included two birdies and 10 pars. He is tied for 17th along with  Krogulskin and Sander. The team is in sixth out of the nine teams and two shots in front of Loras College and only five behind Wartburg College.

Sunday's final round tees-off with a shotgun start at 10 a.m.