JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. – The No. 13 nationally ranked Guilford College men's golf team experienced a difficult middle round, resulting in a 30-over team score and 19^th place finish out of 30 teams at the Jekyll Island Intercollegiate, hosted by Oglethorpe University at Jekyll Island Golf Club-Pine Lakes and Jekyll Island Golf Club-Indian Mound on Friday through Sunday.

Playing 54 holes of golf over the three-day competition with great, clear conditions, especially for the final two rounds at the par-72 courses, it was beautiful weather for this terrific exhibition of Division-III golf. Of the 30 teams competing, 16 of them were within the nation's top-25 with another four in the top-40 based on Scoreboard. No. 11 Huntingdon College had an excellent weekend, securing the top spot with a ten-under third day to complete a nine-under event. No. 2 Washington & Lee University followed, recovering from mediocre first-and-second rounds with a 13-under final 18 to take second at six-under par. No. 5 Emory took third at four-under as a team before No. 1 Methodist University and No. 4 Sewanee rounded out the top-five in a tie at one-below even. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) was well represented with seven squads in attendance. After W&L was No. 10 University of Lynchburg in seventh and No. 15 Hampden-Sydney College in tenth in the final results and ahead of GC. Directly behind the Quakers were Shenandoah University, tied for 20^th, Roanoke College in a tie for 24^th, and Randolph-Macon College in 27^th.

Guilford's top finisher was James Alden (East Northport, N.Y.) who had a rough start to the event with a plus-5 due to five bogeys and a double-bogey on Friday, but he surged over the final 36. Day two, he had a string of one-over holes on the third through fifth pins, but was rock-solid overall at just two-over before a fine third day with a trio of birdies to complete the event with a below-par round, and the event at six-above, finishing tied for 50^th.

Evan Mendyk (Summerfield, N.C.) was just one stroke behind the Quakers' leader finishing seven-over and tied for 56^th. Like his counterpart, Mendyk had difficulties on day one going five-over. His big round came on the second day, however, as a strong front-nine on Saturday helped him post a par-score in the middle round. Finishing the event, Mendyk largely played par-golf with one birdie and a trio of bogeys to go two-over on the day.

Continuing his strong recent stretch of play, Luke Wise (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) was just two behind Mendyk on the scorecard, at nine-over, although a congested middle of the pack drops him to a tie for 72^nd in the standings. The freshman was steady improving his score by one stroke each day. Perhaps some nerves cost him over his first nine holes Friday finishing at three-over, but he settled in to go just four-over on the day. He dropped that to three-over on Saturday with a birdie, against two bogeys and a double-bogey before finishing the event with more steady, consistent golf, finishing just two-over on the day.

Parker Cumbea (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) and Andrew Perry (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) rounded out the GC scorers at 13-over and tied for 104^th. Their events were similar, posting strong first days. Perry was the Guilford leader on the scorecard with a par trip through the course on Friday with Cumbea right behind at one-over. However, they both had a rough go on day two and then just okay Sunday rounds to finish things out.

It will be back to Georgia next for the Quakers, who will compete in their final tune-up before the ODAC Championship on April 4^th through 6^th at the Camp Lejune Intercollegiate, hosted by Oglethorpe University.

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