Feb. 10, 2003

CYPRESS, Texas - An 11-stroke improvement in the second round wasn't enough to help the Kansas State men's golf team, as they slipped one spot down the leaderboard to sit in ninth after the first two rounds of the Rice Intercollegiate. The Wildcats posted rounds of 308-297=605 (+29) on the par-72, 7,075-yard Black Horse Golf Club's North Course.

"We were not playing great golf today by any means," said K-State head coach Tim Norris. "This is not an easy golf course, and nobody really put all 18 together. We're just going to try to keep improving, as we are still in a good position going into the final round tomorrow."

Freshmen Josh Persons and Ben Kern put in solid performances on the Wildcats' opening day of spring, carding K-State's two best rounds of the day. Persons fired a 78-73=151 to sit in a tie for 27th, and Kern shot a 79-73=152 to tie for 33rd. Junior Greg Douglas joined Persons in the 27th spot with a 74-77-151, and junior Aaron Watkins tied for 41st with a 77-76=153. Sophomore Matt Van Cleave, K-State's individual entry for the tournament, shot a pair of 77s to tie for 44th at 154. Completing the roster for the Wildcats was sophomore Jonathan James, who tied 54th with an 81-75=156.

Northwestern took a sizeable lead after day one at the Black Horse, firing a 291-280=571 (-5) to separate itself from the field by 13 strokes. In second place is conference and district rival Missouri, who shot a 297-287=584, to finish at 8-over-par. Northwestern's Scott Harrington led the charge for the Wildcats, firing a pair of 68s to take first place in the individual race at 8-under-par 136. Missouri's Chris Happ put himself in contention for medalist honors, shooting a 70-68 to sit in second at 6-under-par 138.

The Rice Intercollegiate will conclude tomorrow with a shotgun start to the third and final round at 7:30 a.m. For complete results of the Rice Intercollegiate, please visit Rice's web site at www.riceowls.com.

Team Scores: 1. Northwestern 571. 2. Missouri 584. 3. North Texas 590. 4. Rice 593. 5. Texas-Arlington 595. 6. Coastal Carolina 598. 7. Mississippi St. 600. 8. San Diego 603. 9. Kansas State 605. 10. Virginia 611. 11. Texas-San Antonio 617. 12. Tennessee 622.

Top Individuals: 1. Scott Harrington, Northwestern, 136. 2. Chris Happ, Missouri, 138. 3. Bryson Young, Northwestern, 143. T4. Tom Johnson, Northwestern, 144. T4. Joe Deraney, Mississippi St., 144. T4. Thomas Kulcak, North Texas, 144.

Wildcat Individuals: T27. Greg Douglas 151. T27. Josh Persons 151. T33. Ben Kern 152. T41. Aaron Watkins 153. *T44. Matt Van Cleave 154. T54. Jonathan James 156.

* Competed as an individual