The Aztecs and Rams are two of 30 teams taking part in the event to mark the second consecutive season and eighth time in league history that at least two men's golf teams have represented the Mountain West at the NCAA National Championships.
The tournament, which runs through Sunday, June 5, features 54 holes of stroke play with one round played each day. The individual national champion will be crowned at the conclusion of stroke play on Thursday, June 2, while the top eight teams head to match play with the national title determined between the remaining two squads on Sunday. Live hole-by-hole stats are available at GolfStat.com.
Mountain West champion San Diego State, which earned the tournament's No. 7 seed after winning the Southwest Regional in Tucson, Ariz., on May 21, is making its 26th appearance in the NCAA Championship. The Aztecs finished 14th in the event in 2008. SDSU, tied for 10th with Kennesaw State after Tuesday's opening round, is currently paced by junior J.J. Spaun, who carded a 3-under 69 and is in a two-way tie for third place. Freshman Todd Baek is at even-par and in a 15-way tie for 19th.
Colorado State, which is participating in its second NCAA Championship and first since 1999 following its second-place finish at the South-Central Regional in Erie, Colo., sits in tied for 25th after the opening round. Ram junior Kory Harrell will begin second-round play tied for 34th after shooting a 1-over 73 in Tuesday's opening round. Senior Ryan Peterson, the 2010 MW individual champion, carded a 5-over 77 and is currently is in a 18-way tie for 90th.
Georgia Tech, the No. 4 seed, leads the tournament at 5-under 283. Georgia Tech's James White (5-under 67) is the individual leader after 18 holes.
For more information on Mountain West men's golf, follow the MW on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TheMWC and www.Twitter.com/TheMWCOlySports. For the latest news from around the league, become a Facebook fan at www.Facebook.com/MountainWestConference, check out its official YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/MountainWestConf, and read the league's official blog at www.TheMWC.com/blog.
Mick McGrane has covered the Mountain West since the league's inception in 1999. He spent 12 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where he served as the beat writer for San Diego State football and men's basketball. He currently represents the MW as a member of the Football Writers Association of America All-America Committee and is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. McGrane serves as senior writer to the Mountain West, providing readers with exclusive, in-depth information about the Conference by highlighting its 10 member institutions and contributing feature stories on student-athletes that participate in the league's 18 sponsored sports.
Mark Knudson is a Colorado State journalism school graduate and a 12-year veteran of professional baseball. During his playing career, Mark pitched for three major league teams, including the Colorado Rockies, where he was the first Colorado native to play for the hometown team. He recorded wins over three of the four legendary pitchers who make up the 4,000 strikeout club: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens. His win over Ryan came for the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day in 1991.
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