Lightle is Tied for 8th after First Day of NCAA Division III Preview in Nevada

Preston Lightle (Fy., Victoria, BC, Canada/Belmont Senior Secondary School)

October 29, 2023

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

BOULDER CITY, Nev. -- Willamette University men's golfer Preston Lightle (Fy., Victoria, BC, Canada/Belmont Senior Secondary School) was tied for eighth place at 1-over par 73 after the first round of the NCAA Division III Preview on Sunday, Oct. 29 at the Boulder Creek Golf Course. The tournament is being played on the Desert Hawk and Coyote Run courses at Boulder Creek, with nine holes on each course each day of the 54-hole event. The Bearcats concluded the first day in 13th place at 314 and were three strokes out of 10th and six strokes out of seventh.

Action at the tournament will continue with 18 holes on Monday, Oct. 30 and the final 18 holes on Tuesday, Oct. 31. A total of 18 teams from around the nation are competing.

Lightle earned his score of 73 with a 4-over par 40 on the front nine and a 3-under par 33 on the back nine. His back nine included three birdies and six pars.

The top of the leaderboard after 18 holes featured a tie for first place between John Kim of Pomona-Pitzer College (Calif.) and Grayson Maddox of Sewanee (Tenn.) at 2-under par 70. Cameron Cappuzzo from Methodist University (N.C.) was in sole possession of third place with a 1-under 71.

Four golfers were tied for fourth place and three competitors were tied for eighth place. The tie for fourth was at even-par 72 and included Justin Chan from Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.), Colin Edwards of Sewanee, Tomas Amaya of Babson College (Mass.), and Elias Malakoff from Washington and Lee University (Va.). Joining Lightle of Willamette in the tie for eight place at 1-over par 73 were Quinn Clifford from Illinois Wesleyan University and Drew Hermesmeyer from Schreiner University (Texas).

Also competing for Willamette at the NCAA Division II Preview on Sunday were Jack McMullin (Sr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS), Alexander Papajohn (Fy., Parker, CO/Lutheran HS), Oliver Smith (So., San Jose, CA/Pioneer HS), and Brock Olson (So., Kirkland, WA/Lake Washington HS). McMullin and Papajohn each carded an 80. Smith and Olson both shot an 81.

In the team standings, Sewanee held first place with a score of 297. The Tigers led by four strokes over a two-way tie for second place between Illinois Wesleyan and Methodist at 301. Carnegie Mellon was fourth at 303 and Pomona-Pitzer was fifth at 304. Babson followed in sixth place at 306 and Piedmont University (Ga.) was seventh at 308.