The Aztecs and Colorado State are two of 30 teams taking part in the event, marking 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. The top eight teams head to match play beginning on Friday, with the national title determined between the remaining two squads on Sunday. Live hole-by-hole stats are available at GolfStat.com.
No. 7 seed San Diego State, which pocketed its first regional title last month at the Southwest Regional in Tucson, Ariz., is currently paced by freshman Todd Baek and junior J.J. Spaun, who enter Thursday's round in a seven-way tie for 14th place at an even-par 144. Baek has carded an even 72 in each of the first two days, while Spaun, who posted a 3-under 69 during Tuesday's opening round, finished with a 3-over 75 on Wednesday. As a team, the Aztecs have a 36-hole total of 20-over-par 596.
Colorado State is participating in its second NCAA Championship and first since 1999 following its second-place finish at the South-Central Regional in Erie, Colo. The unseeded Rams, who find themselves in 30th place with a 36-hole total of 54-over 630, are currently led by juniors Zahkai Brown and Kory Harrell, both of whom are in a 12-way tie for 105th at 11-over 155.
No. 4 seed Georgia Tech, which led after the opening round, continues to hold the top spot in the team standings at 3-under 573. LSU's John Peterson (5-under 139) is the individual leader after carding a 7-under 65 on Wednesday.
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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