SUGAR GROVE, ILL. – Nicholas Dilio (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) finished 62nd to pace the Saint Peter's men's golf team to a 14th-place standing in the first round of the NCAA Men's Golf Sugar Grove Regional on Thursday.
Dilio started the Peacocks' first-ever NCAA Championship appearance with a birdie on the first hole and registered a birdie on the seventh hole, but also recorded two bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine to finish the first nine holes with a four-over par score of 40. The sophomore posted four bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine for a score of 42 in the final nine holes to card an 82 and sit in 62nd place, 13 strokes behind the current leader.
Eric Edmunds (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) (65th place, 83), Brian Grubbs (Cotez, Colo./Montezuma Cotez) (72nd place, 86) and Dominic Diaz (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) (73th place, 87) also had their scores count for Saint Peter's.
Diaz was the only other Peacocks' golfer to register a birdie on the day after posting a one-under par hole twice on the back nine. Grubbs had a decent day with the exception of the fifth hole. The junior recorded six bogeys and 11 pars on the day, but registered 11 strokes on the par-three fifth hole.
Alabama-Birmingham leads the three-round, three-day tournament with a score of 292, one stroke ahead of Illinois (293) while Clemson (299), Kent State (299), Jacksonville State (302) and USC (302) rounded out the Top-5 teams. Saint Peter's finished the first day in 14th place with a score of 338.
Brandon Molson (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) also participated in the first round for the Peacocks, but his score was disqualified after he signed the incorrect scorecard.
Saint Peter's is participating in its first NCAA Men's Golf Regionals after winning its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title on Apr. 27.
The Peacocks return to action in the second round of the NCAA Men's Golf Sugar Grove Regional on Friday. Saint Peter's will be paired with Cal State Fullerton and the five individuals and will tee off from the 10th tee starting at 9:50 a.m. central time. Molson (9:50 a.m.) will be the first to hit the greens on Friday and will be followed by Diaz (10:01 a.m.), Grubbs (10:12 a.m.), Edmunds (10:23 a.m.) and Dilio (10:34 a.m.).