Indiana, Pa.- The West Liberty University men's golf team closed out the Cecil C. Spadafora IUP Invitational with a second round team score of 297 (+13), bringing their two day total to 600 (+32) for a tie for seventh with Mercyhurst and Millersville. A season-low 36-hole performance helped Awethu Mkhwanazi lead the Hilltoppers as he tied for 19^th place, while Derek Graham and Noah Seivertson made significant jumps on the player's leaderboard as they each carded a second round low score of 73 (+2) for WLU.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Awethu Mkhwanazi ended the day as the highest finishing Hilltopper at the 36-hole tournament, as his second round score of 75 (+4) brought his total to a season-low of 147 (+5) for a tie for 19^th place. During Tuesday's round he tallied scores of par or better on ten holes, including three birdies.
• Derek Graham used a five stroke improvement from round one to round two for a jump of 20 spots up the player leaderboard as his second round score of 73 (+2) brought his total to 151 (+9) for a tie for 30^th place. He tallied a score of par or better on 15 of today's 18 holes at the Indiana Country Club, which included one birdie on hole seven.
• Ethan Cook matched his day one score with another round of 76 (+5) on Tuesday, bringing his two day total to 152 (+10) for a tie for 34^th place. He tallied scores of par or better on ten of today's 18 holes at the IUP Invitational, which included three birdies.
• Bo Orecchio carded a second round score of 78 (+7) on Tuesday to bring his total to 155 (+13) for a tie for 57^th place. He tallied scores of par on 11 of the 18 holes on the par 71 course.
• Noah Seivertson rounded out the West Liberty lineup at the IUP Invitational as he saw a jump of 13 spots on the player's leaderboard with a second round score of 73 (+2), a ten stroke improvement from round one, to total 156 (+14) for a tie of 62^nd place. He tallied scores of par or better on 14 of the day's 18 holes, which included a trio of birdies during the day.

WEST LIBERTY TEAM SCORING

RANK	INDIVIDUAL	R1	R2	TOTAL
T-19	Awethu Mkhwanazi	72 (+1)	75 (+4)	147 (+5)
T-30	Derek Graham	78 (+7)	73 (+2)	151 (+9)
T-34	Ethan Cook	76 (+5)	76 (+5)	152 (+10)
T-57	Bo Orecchio	77 (+6)	78 (+7)	155 (+13)
T-62	Noah Seivertson	83 (+12)	73 (+2)	156 (+14)

 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will conclude the 2023-24 regular season by hosting the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Region Preview next Monday, April 22, and Tuesday, April 23, on the Jones Golf Course at the Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia.