DUPONT, Wash. – Competing for the first time since 2012, the Saints put up a stellar opening round, shooting three under as team, and finishing just one stroke back of first place out of 16 teams.
 
COMPLETE RESULTS
 
Led by GNAC Player of the Year, Tyler Fitchett, and the Saints hosted the NCAA West/South Central Regional out at The Home Course in DuPont. Just weeks ago, the Saints walked away as GNAC Champions on that very course, and put themselves in a good position after the opening round.
 
Fitchett led the way for the Saints, shooting three under par at 69. On the opening nine, Fitchett shot two under with zero bogeys, and on the back nine, finished with another two birdies, and just one bogey. He placed second overall in the field, just one stroke back of the leader.
 
Max Turnquist was second on the team at one under par, 71. The junior finished with four birdies, three of which came on the front nine. Turnquist dominated on the par 4's, shooting two under, which was second best in the field. Overall, he finished tied for 10th.
 
Jordan Terada shot an even par 72 on the day, hitting 36 on both ends. Terada carded three birdies, all of which came on par 5's, which placed him tied for the best score on par 5's in the field. Overall, Terada finished tied for 16th.
 
Closing out the scorecard for the Saints was Nick Baker at one over par, and Dennis Geissler at two over par. Baker managed a team-high five birdies, four coming on the front nine where he shot four under. His three under par score on par 5's ties with him Terada at best scores. Geissler shot two birdies, and finished 37 on both ends of the course.
 
Saint Martin's 285 placed them just one stroke behind leader Montana State Billings at 284. The Saints will tee off starting at 12:05 pm on Friday, with live stats available on smusaints.com.