AIKEN, S.C. - The Gardner-Webb University men's golf team closed play Tuesday at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate with its best round of the tournament, carding a 284 (+4) in the final round to finish 10th overall at +26 (866) at historic Palmetto Golf Club.

The Runnin' Bulldogs opened the 54-hole event with a 285 (+5) in round one before battling through a challenging second round (297, +17). Gardner-Webb bounced back Tuesday with a strong closing performance, producing its lowest team score of the tournament to cap the event.

The Dawgs competed in a 15-team field that featured several strong Division I programs. Campbell University captured the team title at 10-under (830), followed by University of Alabama at Birmingham at 8-under (832). Host University of South Carolina Aiken placed third at 1-under (839).

Jude Carper paced Gardner-Webb throughout the tournament and served as the Bulldogs' top finisher. Carper showed consistency across all three rounds and excelled on par-4 scoring, finishing among the stronger players in the field on those holes. He also led the Runin' Bulldogs with 10 birdies during the tournament.

Reed Burton delivered steady play throughout the event, recording 37 pars, one of the higher totals in the field. His ability to consistently find par helped stabilize the lineup during a challenging second round.

Bradley Davis Jr. contributed reliable middle-of-the-lineup scoring for the Runnin' Bulldogs. Davis finished with 35 pars across the three rounds and maintained steady play as Gardner-Webb worked to climb back up the leaderboard in the final round.

Brandon Heffner added scoring depth for the Runnin' Bulldogs and turned in one of the team's better performances on par-3 holes, while also recording eight birdies during the event.

Jack Boyer rounded out the Runnin' Bulldog lineup and logged 34 pars during the tournament while contributing to the team's strong closing round on Tuesday.