^{ETSU tied for fifth at U.S. Collegiate Championship}

^{ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Senior Rhys Pugh paced the Buccaneers by firing a 4-under-par 68 and the 24th-ranked ETSU men's golf team is tied for fifth following the first round of the U.S. Collegiate Championship, which was held Friday at the Golf Club of Georgia – Lakeside Course.}

^{ETSU, who fired a 2-under-par 286, sits 14 shots back of team leader and No. 25 Virginia, while Pugh is tied for sixth and is five strokes off the lead. Pugh finished strong as he played the final 13 holes at 5-under and collected all six of his birdies during the stretch. The six birdies were tied for the fourth-most in the opening round.}

^{As Virginia holds a six-shot lead over No. 9 Texas for the team lead, the Cavaliers also have the top individual spot, as Denny McCarthy – who is ranked 17th in the World Amateur Rankings – carded a 9-under-par 63. McCarthy has a three-stroke lead over teammate Derek Bard and Stanford’s Maverick McNealy. McNealy is the No. 2 golfer in the Golfweek rankings.}

^{Junior Adrian Meronk posted a 72, while junior Chris Hickman and sophomore Mateusz Gradecki both registered 73s in first-round play for the Blue and Gold. Meronk was 2-over following his first nine holes, but the 20th-ranked golfer stepped up after the turn and registered a pair of birdies to finish tied for 24th at even-par. Hickman picked up birdies on No. 9 and No. 18, and Gradecki posted three birdies in his final 13 holes after carding a pair of double bogeys in the first five. Both Hickman and Gradecki are tied for 31st.}

^{The tournament, which is often referred to “The Masters of College Golf,” features 10 teams ranked in the top 25. ETSU, which is tied with No. 8 Auburn, sits ahead of No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 LSU, No. 9 Wake Forest, No. 13 Georgia Tech and No. 20 Washington.}

^{Second-round play begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, while the Bucs tee off at 9:50 a.m. from No. 1. ETSU is paired with Stanford and Auburn.}