Stevinson, Calif. - The Kansas State men's golf team is once again in the hunt for a second team title, as the Wildcats are tied for second with Iowa State after shooting a 567, five strokes off the pace set by Kansas at the sixth annual Stevinson Ranch Invitational.

"We played well today,” head coach Tim Norris said. “We put ourselves in good shape for tomorrow and maybe we can get a couple of more putts to fall."

This is the sixth straight year that the Wildcats have appeared in the Stevinson Ranch Invitational. K-State has improved each year of the tournament, with its highest finish being second place last year.

Individually, K-State has three golfers in the top 20 of the 14-team field. Leading the way for the Wildcats is sophomore Ben Kern. Kern finished with a 69-70139 to tie for fourth. The 139 is the second lowest 36-hole score of his career. Joining Kern in the top 10 is senior Aaron Watkins. Watkins is on the rebound after finishing in a tie for 54th at the Jim Hackler Invitational, his worst finish since the spring of 2002, and is currently tied for seventh at 140. Senior Tim Moody, competing as an individual, is tied for 17th at 144.

Also competing for the Wildcats is sophomore Josh Persons, who is in a tie for 32nd at 147. Rounding out the Wildcats' lineup are seniors A.J. Elgert and Matt Van Cleave, each of which are tied for 53rd at 150. Van Cleave took an unconventional path to his 150 by carding a 83 in the first round, and following it up with a 67 in the second round. His 67 is the ties for the fifth-lowest score in school history. This is the fourth round this season that Van Cleave has shot in the 60s.

Leading the field is Iowa State's Tyler Swanson and Drake's Wes Pantling, each of which had 36-hole totals of 135 and are 9-under for the tournament.

The Wildcats complete the final 18 holes of the Stevinson Ranch Invitational Tuesday, with a 10 a.m. shotgun start. For complete results, please visit Kansas State's website at www.kstatesports.com.

Men's Collegiate Golf
Stevinson Ranch Invitational
Stevinson, Calif.
Stevinson Ranch Golf Club
Par:72; Yardage: 7,205

Team Scores: 1. Kansas 562; T2. K-State 567; T2. Iowa State 567; 4.Colorado 575; 5. Wichita State 579; 6. Long Beach State 581; 7. Cal State Stanislaus 582; T8. San Jose 583; T8. Missouri 583; 10. Drake 584; 11. Pacific; 592; T12. Illinois State 593; T12. Washington State 593; 14. UC-Irvine 594.

Top Individuals: T1. Tyler Swanson, (Iowa State) 135; T1. Wes Pantling, (Drake) 135.

Wildcat Individuals: T4. Ben Kern, 69-70139. T7. Aaron Watkins, 71-69140. T17. Tim Moody, 71-73144. T32. Josh Persons, 72-75147. T53. A.J. Elgert, 74-76150. T53. Matt Van Cleave, 83-67150

K-StateSports Men's Golf

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