Men's Golf | 9/30/2025 4:04:01 PM

DANIELS, W.Va. - Since the River States Conference golf tournament relocated to Glade Springs Resort Golf Course in 2023, the Golden Bears of WVU Tech have almost always been in the hunt, but could never find a way to claim the hardware on their home course.

That changed on Tuesday, as WVU Tech claimed the 2025 River States Conference Men's Golf Fall Preview. The Golden Bears charged up the leaderboard by posting an even-par second round as a team, defeating second place Midway by seven shots and third place IU East, who led at the end of Monday, by 11 shots.

IU East charged out to the lead on Monday, carding an even par score of 288 to lead by six shots over Midway and eight shots over WVU Tech. The Red Wolves were led by a 66 from Sam Firebaugh, who made eagle on two of the final seven holes. Dare Bowles was also under par for the Red Wolves, finishing the first round with a 70 after making birdie on four of the first six holes.

The top three flipped on the second day at Glade Springs, with WVU Tech racing to the top of the leaderboard and IU East falling to third. The Golden Bears made four eagles throughout the day, including a long-range eagle on the ninth hole from Heidar Bjarnason. Second place Midway dropped just three strokes from their first round (294 to 297), while the Red Wolves slipped due to a team score of 307 in the second round.

The individual medalist was WVU Tech's Heidar Bjarnason, who used a scorching front nine of the second round to take the lead and never look back. After a 69 in the first round put him three shots back of leader Sam Firebaugh of IU East, the WVU Tech freshman made two eagles, two birdies, and a bogey to card a front nine 31. He never relinquished the lead from there, finishing three shots clear of Firebaugh and fellow runner-up Pedro Torrens of Rio Grande with a four-under par score.

The fall preview is designed to give the teams a first look at the golf course before returning in April for the River States Conference Championship. The 2026 RSC Men's Golf Championship is scheduled for April 26-28, back at Glade Springs Resort Golf Course in West Virginia. Midway University enters the championship as reigning champs, claiming the team title in dramatic fashion in 2025 by two strokes over WVU Tech.