With 18 holes to go, Nick Voke is on pace to make a triumphant return from injury.

After missing last season’s postseason play in May due to a collarbone injury from a skateboard accident, Voke is in first place in his return to collegiate competition.

On a day where under-par rounds were hard to come by, Voke posted the lowest round of the tournament, a four-under-par 68 in the second round to surge to the top of the competition.

After a two-over-par 74 in round one and a two-over-par start to his second round, Voke caught fire. The sophomore from Auckland, New Zealand, finished his final 10 holes with five-under-par to rise more than 30 spots on the leaderboard.

Voke will need a strong final round to take home medalist honors, as there are 14 players who are within four shots, including Conner Hayden of Radford, who is just one shot off the pace.

As for the team, a title is a little more out of reach.

With Voke’s 68 being the only ISU round of par or better, Iowa State finished with a 13-over-par total of 589. It posted 296 in the first round and improved slightly in the second, posting 293. 

Though the Cyclones enter Sept. 23’s final round in third place, 10 shots behind defending champion Virginia Tech, they will hope for a reversal of last year’s fortunes.

At the 2013 Virginia Commonwealth Shootout, Iowa State trailed the Hokies by only two strokes entering the final round but was topped by 20 in the final round as Virginia Tech ran away with the title and Iowa State finished in second place.

Final round play from the Hermitage Country Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va., will begin Sept. 23.