There aren't many accomplishments Mike Van Sickle has failed to grab in his almost four years playing golf for Marquette. He was named a Golfweek All-American. He's won 11 collegiate tournaments. He bolstered the Golden Eagles' 2008 conference championship.

But with all the accolades he has garnered, one victory has escaped Van Sickle's clutches – an individual Big East championship.

"It's a thing that's eluded me my entire career," he said.

But after two days of play at the soggy Big East Championships at Lake Jovita Country Club in Dade City, Fla., Van Sickle seems primed and ready to add one more notch to his illustrious belt. He currently sits in a tie for first at 4-under-par after he fired a 5-under 67 Monday, a round that included an eagle, four birdies, and only one bogey to shoot 13 spots up the leader board.

Van Sickle said he feels confident in both his spot in the standings and his play heading into today's final round.

"I feel like I'm in a good position," he said. "As long as I can execute like I did (Monday), hopefully I can go out and shoot something in the mid 60s."

While Van Sickle is looking to earn his first Big East title, the Marquette squad is aiming to defend last year's championship, which was Marquette's first Big East Championship in any sport. Although the Golden Eagles currently sit in second place, they are still 11 shots behind Louisville, a team they have failed to beat in three tournaments this year.

After Van Sickle, Dustin Schwab, Kelly Kretz and Matt Haase each finished with 1-over 73s on Sunday, a bit of a slow start to Monday's round had Marquette hovering in a tie for third and nowhere near the front-running Cardinals. However, six birdies and no bogeys in the foursome's last 16 holes combined have given the Golden Eagles a shot, albeit a slim one, to reclaim the title.

"We had no choice – the window seemed pretty bleak. Mike Van Sickle is Mike Van Sickle, he's always going to go out there and make some birdies, but our goal is to have all those other guys even par or better and combine it with what Mike's doing. That's what we need to do to get within striking distance, because 11 back is not an easy feat for us."

The spot is a familiar one for the Golden Eagles, as they have been in contention for a number of tournaments so far this spring, (including a two-day lead at the USF/Ron Smith Invite, held at the same Lake Jovita course) but have yet to find the winner's circle.

Despite the past struggles, Schwab said the team knows what it has to do going into what might be the final round of the team's season.

"It's going to be necessary to get off to good starts, get birdies and limit the bad decisions," Schwab said.

Those bad decisions are exactly what Grogan has been trying to prevent all season.

"We're still making mistakes," he said. "It's frustrating knowing what kind of level we're playing at and still seeing some of those easy mistakes-that's why we're 11 back. But we've been working on it and harping on it and hopefully all those lessons will pay off tomorrow."