Tigers Stand Fifth After Opening Round Of NCAA Division III Tournament
Wittenberg in middle of large cluster of teams in good position after first day, led by Garrett Brickley's even-par round.
ROCHESTER, NY - The Wittenberg Tigers turned in a solid performance in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Division III Tournament, posting a team score of 303 to stand fifth out of 41 teams, 13 strokes off the pace set by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
The top three teams in the standings all played the opening round at the par-71, 6,645-yard course at Mendon Golf Club. The Tigers are scheduled to tee off their second round at Mendon starting at 8:20 a.m. on Wednesday.
The opening round for Wittenberg was played on the par-72, 6,632-yard course at Midvale Country Club. The Tigers' posted the second-best score of the day at Midvale, which will be the site of the third and fourth rounds after 26 of the 41 teams in the field are eliminated following Day 2.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is atop the overall standings with a team score of 286, good for an 11-stroke lead over St. Thomas at 297. The host team, St. John Fisher, and Methodist, the top-ranked team in the latest GolfStat statistical rankings and the defending national champion, are tied for third at 14 shots over par - St. John Fisher shot 298 and Methodist shot 302. Wittenberg is fifth at 303, while Huntingdon is sixth with a total of 300, one stroke behind the Tigers relative to par.
"The course was pretty firm and very challenging off the tee," said Tiger Assistant Coach Andy Bonar, who is leading the men while Head Coach Jeff Roope guides the women at their national tournament in Houston. "It has well-guarded greens with bunkering and thick rough."
Individually, Wittenberg was paced by junior Garrett Brickley (Pickerington, Ohio/North) with an even-par round of 72. He is in third place in the 210-player standings.
Right behind him is senior Sam Geise (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro), who carded a 73 to stand ninth in the first round standings. He was followed by freshman Isaac Hartley (Bellevue, Ohio/Bellevue) in 52nd place with a 77, junior Mark David Wright (Westerville, Ohio/Tree of Life) in 123rd with an 81, and freshman Colin Laszlo (Waipahu, Hawaii/Punahou) in 185th with an 86.
Written By: Ryan Maurer