Stephen Shephard shot a 2-under-par 70 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship on Wednesday. Shephard is five strokes out of first and tied for 14th with a 3-over 147 entering the third round.

Posted: May 15, 2019

Hawks climb to fourth after Rd. 2 of NCAA Tournament

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – The Huntingdon men's golf team shot 3-over-par 291 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship on Wednesday.

The Hawks shaved eight strokes off their first-round score and climbed four spots in the team standings. Entering Thursday's third round at Keene Trace Golf Club, the second-ranked Hawks are fourth with a two-round score of 14-over 590.

Third-ranked Illinois Wesleyan leads the field with a 2-over 578 in the first two rounds. Sixth-ranked Guilford College is second with a 6-over 582 and fourth-ranked Wittenberg is third with an 11-over 587.

Eight strokes behind Huntingdon, Oglethorpe, Trinity College (Conn.) and Methodist are tied for fifth at 22-over 598.

Senior Stephen Shephard, the third-ranked golfer in Division III, led the Hawks with a 2-under 70 in the second round. The round was his 18^th round of par-or-better this season. Through two rounds, Shephard is five strokes off the lead and tied for 14^th with a 3-over 147.

Junior Drew Mathers, the second-ranked golfer in Division III, shot a 1-over 73 on Wednesday. After two rounds, Mathers is one stroke off the lead and tied for third with a 1-under 143.

Wittenberg's Cameron Willis and Methodist's Zane Brownrigg are tied for the tournament lead with a 2-under 142 after 36 holes.

Huntingdon senior Henry Gee is six strokes out of first and tied for 20^th with a 4-over 148. Gee shot a 3-over 75 in the second round.

Freshman Carson Whitton bounced back from a tough first round and shot 1-over 73 in the second round. Through two rounds, Whitton is 12 strokes off the lead with a 10-over 154. Senior Mark Connelly shot 5-over 77 in the second round and is 14 strokes off the lead with a 12-over 156 after 36 holes.

Following Wednesday's round, the 42-team field was cut to 18 teams for the final two rounds. All three USA South Athletic Conference teams in the tournament made the cut. In addition to Huntingdon and Methodist, North Carolina Wesleyan is 15^th with a two-round 616.

Coming Up: Huntingdon will play in the third round of the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship on Thursday.