URBANA — Ryan Voois didn’t think there was much else he could have done on the golf course on Wednesday afternoon.

The Illinois junior knew the contours of Atkins Golf Club well. So did his Illinois teammates, who call the course in Urbana home during the regular season.

That familiarity enabled Voois to finish the three-day tournament at 9-under 204, a key factor in Illinois tying Oklahoma State for the top spot in the 13-team field and clinching a spot to play in the NCAA Championships that start late next week in Carlsbad, Calif.

“Mentally, if you’re strong and you’re tough-minded and come out ready to compete, it’s an advantage,” Voois said. “But if you come out soft and just expecting to cruise through here, it can actually be a disadvantage.”

It played as an advantage for Voois, who finished his final round on Wednesday with a 4-under 67 and tied teammate Max Herendeen for the Illini’s best round of the day.

Herendeen finished the tournament at 4-under 209, trailing teammate Jackson Buchanan by two strokes. Buchanan, who set an Atkins Golf Club course record with an 8-under 63 in Monday’s first round, ended up tied for fifth at 6-under 207.

Despite placing three golfers in the top 15, Illinois knows there is room for improvement before it ventures to California next week.

“I’m just struggling with some mental stuff right now,” Herendeen said. “It’s been a grind this week, but found some things in the middle of the round there. So I’m happy with myself there, but back to the drawing board, back to work this next week and a half.”

Birdies on the first, third and ninth holes and an eagle on the 15th hole helped Voois overcome a bogey on the 17th hole during Wednesday’s round.

Caden Fioroni of UNLV and Voois were tied for the medalist spot momentarily after Fironi made a birdie putt on the 18th a few minutes after Voois’ round ended. But Hunter Thomason from Michigan wound up atop the individual leaderboard a few hours later after his own 4-under 67 on Wednesday moved him to 10-under 203.

“It’s funny (because) last year when I won here, he and I were battling it out down the stretch,” Voois said in reference to Thomason while Thomason still on the course. “It was different because we were playing together in the final round, and I clipped him by a couple, I think. So I’m sure that’s in the back of his head, trying to get me back for that.”

Thomason, however, didn’t have the benefit of the significant crowd gathered to watch the Illini by the time his round concluded.

Not that Illinois viewed the masses of orange-and-blue clad fans surrounding the greens as added pressure.

“You come to Illinois for weeks like this,” Herendeen said. “We have the best fanbase in America, without a doubt. I think seeing everybody out here this week proves that. Really special.”

Other teams were met with polite applause rather than raucous applause. Wyatt Platner of UNLV, who played with Voois on Wednesday, noticed it after he made a birdie at the 14th hole.

“He’s like, ‘You got more applause for your two-foot par putt than I got for my birdie,'” Voois said.

The share of first place with Oklahoma State gave the Illini an NCAA regional win for the second straight season, following a victory in a regional tournament hosted by Stanford in 2024.

Illinois had the best score during the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship last year before falling in the quarterfinals of match play, but they’ll be familiar with the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad since the same venue hosting this year’s NCAA Championship hosted last year’s event as well. The NCAA Championships begin next Friday and are set to conclude on May 28.

“We had nine guys on our team last year, (and) four of them were seniors,” Illinois coach Mmall said. “This year, we have seven guys and five of them are freshmen or sophomores. It’s different, but we always talk about (that) this is what we build for. This is what you practice all year for. This is what people remember.”

Illinois will join Oklahoma State, UNLV, Troy and Texas Tech as teams to advance from Urbana to the NCAA Championships.

Qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the 18th time since 2002 checked a box the Illini had in mind at the start of the season.

“In August, when you come to practice, every school in the country, their goal is to get to the finals.” Small said. “We’ve done it a lot. Ten, 15 times more than any other Big Ten school. We’ve been to the match play. That’s great. That’s an icing on the top. But to get to the finals is a big deal. We’re going again, so this should be a positive thing.”

Voois, a California native, saw plenty of familiar faces when he competed at last year’s NCAA Championships. He graduated from Tesoro High School, which is about an hour north of the course where he hopes to replicate the individual and team success the Illini experienced this week at Atkins.

“Last year there were a lot of fans out there for me,” Voois said. “It’ll be fun. I don’t treat it any differently than I treat any other tournament. But it is nice to be home.

“I’m familiar with the grass. I’m familiar with how far the ball travels. I’m familiar with putting on the green. So it’s an advantage, for sure.”