Friday, September 28, 2001

Johnson City, Tenn. -- The East Tennessee State men's golf team is in a three-way tie for sixth place after the first round of the Ping/Golfweek Preview Invitational from The Ohio State University Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. The Ping/Golfweek Preview Invitational is consistently one of the most prestigious tournaments in the United States. Twelve of the 15 teams participating in the 2001 Ping/Golfweek Preview Invitational finished among the Top 15 teams in the country last year at the NCAA Championships, hosted by Duke University. Included among the 2001 Preview Invitational field are: Florida, 2001 NCAA Champions, and Top 10 finishers: Clemson (2), Arizona (3), Georgia Tech (4), Georgia (5), Arizona State (6), Augusta State (7), Virginia Tech (8), East Tennessee State (9) and Wake Forest (10). Pacific (11) and Oklahoma (12T) also made the cut to finish among the Top 15 teams nationally in 2001. The Bucs shot a 8-over par 292 on the day, four shots behind team leader Clemson. Junior James Johnson and freshman Cennydd Mills led the way for ETSU, both firing 1-over par 72's. The two are in a tie for 13th, but are just three shots behind the leaders, Cody Freeman of Oklahoma, Jason Hartwick of Texas and Brent Wanner of Wake Forest, who all sit at 2-under par. Junior Adam Riddering also had a strong day for the Bucs, shooting a 2-over par 73 in the first round to put him in a tie for 21st. Freshman Marco Trejos was the next Buccaneer finisher, tying for 38th after firing a 4-over par 75. Freshman Noel Kavanaugh rounded out ETSU's day, finishing in a tie for 49th at 5-over par after shooting a first-round 76. The Buccaneers will tee off Saturday morning in the second round of the Ping/Golfweek Preview Invitational from the Ohio State Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. Live scoring of the tournament can be followed at http://live.golfstat.com.