INDIANAPOLIS – Hillsdale’s Joel Pietila (Rockford, Mich.) was announced as the first Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday morning.
 
Pietila and the Chargers debuted the fall at the Watrous Intercollegiate hosted by Saginaw Valley State in Bay City, Mich., along with two other Great Midwest teams in the field.
 
The junior tied for sixth overall out of 97 individuals with a two-round total of 2-under par 142 (73-69).
 
Hillsdale earned a runner-up team placing only finishing behind Grand Valley State in the final standings. The Chargers had a strong team score of 285 in the final round of the event.
 
His current season average of 71.00 is tops in the conference for all events ending through Sunday.
 
Pietila was the 2017 GLIAC individual champion and placed ninth at the 2017 NCAA Super Regional held in Axtell, Neb. He posted a 66 (-6) in the super regional in a bid to advance to the championships.