‘Jacket men complete Day 1 at GNAC Championships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, April 24, 2017 ‘Jacket men complete Day 1 at GNAC Championships

MSUB’s men’s golf team sits in sixth place after the opening two rounds of the 2017 GNAC Championships on Monday at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Completing the opening two rounds of the 2017 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championships presented by the Coeur d’Alene Resort on Monday, the Montana State University Billings men’s golf squad sits in sixth place.

The Yellowjckets racked up a team score of 606, with a 297 in the opening round followed by a 309 in the second round of the day. “Our guys got off to a solid start today, but we just couldn’t sustain the early momentum,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “The weather was very difficult, as they played in cold, windy, and wet conditions. It will be important for us to limit our three-putts and penalty shots tomorrow. If we do that, I am confident we can shoot our best round of the tournament.”

Senior Michael Porter leads the team after carding a 5-over-par 147 in his first two rounds of the championships. Porter scored a pair of birdies to offset four bogeys in Round 1, finishing with a 2-over-par 73. He followed with three more birdies his second time through the course, including a saved stroke on the world-famous par-3 floating green on the 14th hole. “Michael played very solidly today,” said Woodin. “Other than two bad swings which led to double bogeys in his early round, he was extremely consistent.”

Connor Miele and Caleb Stetzner each turned in a score of 153 on Monday, and the duo is tied for 24th place. Miele got off to a screaming start, with four birdies and a 2-under-par 33 on his first nine holes of the tournament. The senior was 3-under par after his first six holes, including back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes. He wound up with a 77 in the opening round, and a 76 in his second with consistent play throughout the day.

Stetzner also had five birdies Monday, three coming during his 74 in the first round of action. The freshman kept his scoring low with just two double bogeys on the day, and he also had 17 pars in his 36 holes.

Garrett Woodin is in 27th place after the first day of action, after a two-round total of 155 (75-80). Woodin had one birdie on Monday, and his two back-nines were identical stroke-for-stroke at just 1-overpar 37.

Austin Walter is close behind Woodin, after a two-round total of 158 (75-83) on Monday. The sophomore had a promising opening round with four birdies en route to a 75. His back-nine featured a pair of birdies, as he played it at 1-under-par 35.

Concordia University leads the team race, after a two-round total of Senior Connor Miele came out of the gates on fire Monday, 575 (288-287), with three players in the top-10. Simon Fraser with a 2-under-par 33 in his opening nine holes.

University’s Chris Crisologo is the individual leader, after shooting a 137 (70-67) and he holds a one-stroke edge over Western Washington University’s Chris Hatch (138, 71-67).

THE BUZZ: Porter was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…he had one of just four birdies on the floating green among the field of 30 competitors…Crisologo, Hatch, and CU’s Nick Huff were the only players to break 70 on Monday.

AHEAD: The third and final round is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. Live scoring will be available online through Golf Stat here.

2017 GNAC Men’s Golf Championships Coeur d’Alene Resort | Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Day 1 Results | April 24, 2017 Team – 1. Concordia University, 575 (288-287); 6. MSU Billings, 606 (297-309). Individuals – 1. Chris Crisologo, SFU, 137 (70-67); 11. Michael Porter, MSUB, 147 (73-74); T24. Connor Miele, MSUB, 153 (77-76); T24. Caleb Stetzner, MSUB, 153 (74-79); 27. Garrett Woodin, MSUB, 155 (75-80); 28. Austin Walter, MSUB, 158 (75-83).

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--