EL PASO, Texas – Western Carolina senior J.T. Poston finished tied for sixth at the Sun Bowl Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic, which concluded Sunday at the par-71, 6,889-yard El Paso Country Club. Poston finished competition with a two-day score of 5-under-par 208, advancing one position in the final standings after sitting in seventh after Saturday’s 36 holes.

Poston turned in rounds of even-par 71 and 2-under-par 69 on Saturday and entered the final day of play seven strokes off the pace set by defending tournament champion Gavin Green of New Mexico. The Hickory, N.C., product then fired a 3-under-par 68 on Sunday, countering two bogeys with five birdies.

Poston’s sixth-place tie is the best showing for a men’s golfer representing a Southern Conference school since 1998, when ETSU’s David Christensen finished as the event runner-up. Ranked 87th in the latest GolfStat ranks, Poston finished ahead of eight other nationally ranked golfers, including seven that are ahead of him on the ledger.

All told, Poston paced the 19 All-America golfer field in par-3 scoring, shooting 2-under (2.78) over the three-round tournament. He finished with 39 pars – tied for fourth in the field – and 10 birdies over the 54-hole event.

Green of New Mexico, became just the second player in the 40-year history of the tournament to repeat as event champion, leading the tournament from start to finish. He joined Clemson’s Chris Patton, who repeated the feat at the All-American Classic with wins in 1988 and 1989.

A Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, native, Green finished 14-under par, seven strokes ahead of second-place finishers Jonathan Garrick (UCLA) and Rico Hoey (USC) to receive his second Lee Trevino trophy at the El Paso Country Club. Green carded a 66 in the final round following scores of 71 and 62 in the first two rounds on Saturday.