The Cyclone men’s golf team gave the field a run for their money at the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate golf tournament at Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Featuring consistency in the attack, Iowa State finished second out of the 17-team field with a team score of 872, two strokes behind champion University of Nevada.

“I’m happy with the way we played, especially the last day,” Coach Jamie Bermel said.

The relatively short course, combined with the thin air of the Rockies pleased Cyclone golfer Matt Lewis. “I liked the course quite a bit. It was windy, so that made the course more challenging,” he said.

The par-72 course featured six difficult par-3s, along with six relatively easy par-5s.

“If you didn’t make birdie you felt like you gave up a shot,” Lewis said about the par-5s.

After round one, ISU team members found themselves stuck in the middle of the pack, as the University of Nevada sizzled out to a 10-shot lead over the Cyclones.

ISU struck immediately in round two, as all five Cyclone golfers birdied the first hole. “It was exciting to see that,” Bermel said.

This quick start helped catapult the Cyclones into contention, as Nevada’s lead shrunk to six strokes after round two. ISU featured the lowest team score of the round.

Cyclones also sported the lowest team score in round three, but it was not enough.

“It came down to the last couple of holes,” Bermel said.

Although ISU did not have anyone shoot “lights out,” the team was well balanced, which kept the Cyclones within striking distance of the crown.

“It was a real team effort … no one was out of competition,” Lewis said.

Lewis, a junior, once again led the Cyclone squad with a 54-hole score of 217. The trio of John Brachmann, Aaron Patton and Scott Hart each fired scores of 219, while Jon Levy shot a 222.

Drake’s Zach Johnson hooked the tourney medal with a score of 210.

The men’s team travels to the links of Minneapolis, Minn., for the Relistar Tournament on Sept. 13-15. The tournament features several of the nation’s top teams and is also a homecoming of sorts for Lewis, who transferred from the University of Minnesota this fall.

“I’m really excited about this tournament,” he said.

The Cyclones have momentum after the successful weekend, and the team’s confidence is beginning to show.

“Everyone on the team is playing well. We’ll find out how good we really are,” Lewis said.