Malone University, which is looking for its fourth NCCAA national title in the 13 years of the event, fired a tournament-record 290 on the day to open up a 13-stroke lead on the field on a day when windy conditions proved challenging for most. Southern Wesleyan (S.C.) University and Dallas Baptist (Texas) University each shot a 303 to stand tied for second, while Bethel (Ind.) College and North Greenville (S.C.) University were fourth and fifth at 306 and 309 respectively. MVNU fired a 318 as a team and was tied for ninth place with Cedarville University.

Individually, Malone’s Justin Lower posted the best round of the day with a three-under-par 69 to hold a one-stroke lead over Campbellsville (Ky.) University’s Scott Webb (70). Sophomore Alex Carroll (left) led the Cougars with a 76 to stand tied for 14th place, while senior Tyler Tinch carded a 77. Freshman Mitch Justice (78), sophomore Jay Ruffner (87), and senior Jared Schlabach (88) rounded out the scoring for MVNU.

The tournament will wrap up with 18 more holes on Tuesday after which the national champion will be crowned and the NCCAA All-Americans announced. There will also be a presentation of donated food to the Panama City Rescue Mission as the NCCAA is conducting a year-long food drive at all 22 national championship sites and over 5 regional events in an effort to contribute 4,000 pounds of food to local food banks across the country.