Minnesota opened its spring season over the weekend with a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Match Play Championship in Bradenton, Fla.

The Gophers defeated No. 1-seeded Illinois on Saturday and followed up with a win against Indiana to secure their place in the final standings.

Michigan won the event with a victory over Purdue in the finals.

It was Minnesota’s first live action since mid-November, and it seemed to take the team a full day to get going again.

The Gophers posted a fairly successful fall campaign, and head coach John Carlson said at the end of the fall season that he expected his team to be “very competitive” during the spring season.

The Gophers started the Big Ten Match Play Championship with a 4-1 win over Penn State on Friday to advance to the quarterfinals. They lost to Purdue and dropped into the consolation bracket.

Jon Trasamar stood out for the Gophers over the weekend, recording three wins. His only loss came against Purdue on Friday.

Trasamar and Alex Gaugert provided crucial wins in the fifth-place match against Indiana on Saturday to pace the team.

Trasamar was a standout for the Gophers throughout the fall season and appears poised to continue that success into the spring season.

Minnesota has two weeks off before play picks up again at the Del Walker Classic in Long Beach, Calif.