ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Just four strokes out of the lead, Navy team captain Connor Tallman (Sr / Lake Oswego, Ore.) shot a 4-over par 75 to anchor the Mids' blue squad in the opening round of the 11-team Navy Spring Invitational played Saturday at the Naval Academy Golf Course. Navy shot a 25-over par 309 and is 13 strokes behind tournament leader George Mason (296).

The Patriots covered the opening 18 holes with a 12-over par 296 as the teams were forced to battle unseasonably cool temperatures and a steady rainfall throughout the day. Saint Joseph's (299) trails George Mason by three strokes, while St. John's (300) is third and Lafayette (303) and Wagner (303) are tied for fourth.

Wagner's Lucas Moreno is atop the individual leader board after shooting par on Saturday, however, six players are at his heels after finishing the opening round 1-over. One of those six players is Navy junior Ethan Mead (Charlotte, N.C.) who is a member of the Mids' gold team and is coming off a team-best 21st-place finish at the Finegan Invitational.

Navy's gold team currently sits 11th after posting a 33-over par 317. Joining Mead on the gold squad are Ben Allen (Sr / San Marino, Calif.) in 46th with an 80 (+9), Devin Terry (Sr / La Crosse, Wis.) in 50th with an 82 (+11), Paul Mauer (So / Eagleville, Pa.) in 54th with an 83 (+12) and Connor Jaenke (Fr / Arnold, Md.) in 57th with an 84 (+13).

Meanwhile, in addition to Tallman, Navy's blue team is comprised of Matt Starobin (So / Davidsonville, Md.), Thomas Fricke (Jr / Haymarket, Va.) and Thomas Garbee (Fr / Asheville, N.C.) who all shot 78s (+7) and are tied for 32nd, while Griffin Peters (So / Fountain Hills, Ariz.) completed the round in 54th with an 83 (+12).

The final round of the Navy Spring Invitational is set to begin at 8:00 am on Sunday.

### Go Navy ###