SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. - Lincoln Memorial University freshman Connor Froning tied a South Atlantic Conference championship record with his eight-under par 64 to lead after the first round of the 2013 Food Lion SAC Men's Golf Championship.

The three-day, 54-hole tournament is being held at the par 72, 7,054-yard Sevierville Golf Club - River Course.

Froning paced LMU to a one-under par team score of 287 to lead by 14 shots over second-place Wingate University (301) and third place Tusculum College (307). Lenoir-Rhyne University and Carson-Newman University are tied for fourth place at 309. Brevard College is sixth with 311, followed by Newberry College (314), Catawba College (316), Anderson University (320) and Mars Hill College (329).

Froning's matches the first round 64 posted by Presbyterian College's Gavin Gillespie at the 2003 championship. His 64 on Sunday also established a new 18-hole record at the River Course.

He enjoys a seven-shot lead over LMU teammate Jamie Chapman and Carson-Newman's Jonathan Kim-Moss who are tied for second with 71. Lenoir-Rhyne's John White is fourth with 72, while Kim Koivu of Brevard and Wingate's Tyler Stone are tied for fifth place with 73. The trio of Brian Denton (Wingate), Rand Wasson (LMU) and Jon Weiss (Newberry) are tied for seventh place with 74. Three players are in a three-way tie for 10th at 75, including Brandon Squier (Lenoir-Rhyne), Derek Cantrell (Tusculum) and Chandler Gruenemeier (Newberry).

AU's Arran Setro and Sean Shelton each carded a four-over par 76 and share 13th, while senior John Moore fired an eight-over par 80 and is tied for 28th. Payden Parrish carded a first-round 88 (T46th) and Rob Warren posted an opening-round 92 (50th).

The second round of the Food Lion SAC Men's Golf Championship will be start at 8:30 a.m. on Monday.