DAVIE, Fla. – Led by freshman Alejandro de Castro's 1-over-par 72 in Friday's round, the Anderson men's golf team is in 16th place following Friday's second-round action at the 2023 NCAA Southeast/South Regional Championship.
"It was another disappointing round today," said Anderson Director of Golf Danny Neal. "The conditions were tougher, as pins were tucked and the wind blew a bit harder than yesterday. That being said, it is my job to prepare the team for each event. They weren't these first two days, so that is on me. Our hope is to show up tomorrow and play the way we know we can play - and have played all year - and hope to get some help from some other teams."
The three-day, 54-hole tournament is being hosted by Nova Southeastern at the Grande Oaks Golf Club on a par-71, 6,725-yard, layout.
Each of the top two teams – Barry and West Florida – moved up a pair of spots during Friday's second round, with Barry now at the top and leading the Argonauts by four strokes heading into Saturday's third round. North Georgia jumped four spots into third place, with Lee making the one of the biggest moves of the day – from ninth into the fourth slot. Shorter, which held a three-stroke lead following Thursday's opening round, fell to fifth, with Clayton State remaining in sixth place. Georgia Southwestern also climbed four spots into seventh place, with USC Aiken and Nova Southeastern sharing eighth place after the Sharks made the biggest move of the day - vaulting all the way from 14th place.
Florida Southern fell five slots into a tie for 10th place, alongside Carson-Newman. Lander and Barton are 12th and 13th, respectively, with Tampa and Lynn tied for 14th place. Anderson, Lincoln Memorial, Saint Leo, Limestone and Spring Hill rounding out the 20-team field, which includes 15 of the nation's top-25 squads.
Palm Beach Atlantic's Andrew Riley (62-70--132) continued to lead the chase for individual medalist honors and holds a two-stroke edge over Barry's A.J. Ewart (67-67—134), who is the defending champion. Carson-Newman's Luke Stock (69-68--137), Florida Southern's Adam Alvarez (67-70—137), North Georgia's Noah Zediker (67-70—137) and West Florida's Felipe Garces Garzon (70-67—137), who leapt 22 spots, are all tied for third place.
AU senior Reece Coleman continues to lead the Trojans through two rounds and carded a birdie on the day, along with an eagle on the par-5 eighth and is in a tie for 21st place heading into Saturday's final round. Junior Calahan Keever notched a pair of birdies and is tied for 29th place, while de Castro moved up 24 spots and shares 47th place. Sophomore Simon Wright is currently tied for 92nd place, with junior Daniel Coker sharing the 104th spot.
The top six teams from the combined Southeast/South Regional along with the top two individuals not on an advancing team will advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships slated for May 22-26 at the Avon Lakes Golf Club in Warren, Ohio. At the finals, all 20 teams and eight individuals will complete 54 holes of stroke play
Saturday's final round is slated to get underway at 7:30 a.m., with the Trojans teeing off between 8:20 a.m. and 9 a.m. from the No. 1 tee.
16 Anderson 289 293 582
T21 Reece Coleman 69 73 142
T29 Calahan Keever 70 73 143
T47 Alejandro de Castro 73 72 145
T92 Simon Wright 77 75 152
T104 Daniel Coker 82 75 157
Teams Scores
1 Barry 276 283 559 -9
2 West Florida 277 286 563 -5
3 North Georgia 282 286 568 E
4 Lee 283 286 569 +1
5 Shorter 272 298 570 +2
6 Clayton State 281 291 572 +4
7 Georgia Southwestern 284 289 573 +5
T8 USC Aiken 282 292 574 +6
T8 Nova Southeastern 287 287 574 +6
T10 Florida Southern 278 297 575 +7
T10 Carson-Newman 285 290 575 +7
12 Lander 283 294 577 +9
13 Barton 289 290 579 +11
T14 Tampa 291 289 580 +12
T14 Lynn 275 305 580 +12
16 Anderson 289 293 582 +14
T17 Lincoln Memorial 289 296 585 +17
T17 Saint Leo 294 291 585 +17
19 Limestone 285 301 586 +18
20 Spring Hill 295 299 594 +26
Notables
• AU's first-round, 5-over-par 289 marked the Trojans' lowest round of the Black and Gold's NCAA Tournament history.
• The Trojans' second round 293 equaled AU's second-lowest round of the Black and Gold's NCAA Tournament history.
• De Castro's second-round 72 matched AU's fifth- lowest round of the Trojans' NCAA Tournament history.
• Coleman's opening-round, 2-under 69 marked AU's lowest round of the Trojans' NCAA Tournament history.
• Keever's first-round, 70 marked AU's second-lowest round of the Trojans' NCAA Tournament history.
• AU also made appearances at the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 NCAA Atlantic Regionals.
• AU claimed its highest finish (3rd) at Mooresville, N.C., in 2008.
• The Black and Gold recorded sixth-place performances in 2005 and 2007 after notching back-to-back fifth-place finishes in 2003-04.
• Lee in the defending national champion.
• Florida Southern has won the national championship 13 times and has finished as runners-up on four occasions since 1963. The Mocs are seeking their first title since 2017 and just their second since 2010.
• USC Aiken won three consecutive national championships from 2004-06,
• Barry, Nova Southeastern, West Florida, Lynn and Tampa have each taken home the championship hardware on two occasions.
• Tampa is seeking its first title since going back-to-back in 1987 and 1988.
• The field includes three of the top four golfers in the nation, seven of the country's top-10 golfers and nearly half of the nation's top-25 golfers.
COMPLETE RESULTS
