By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

WHEELING, W.Va. -- Strong play on the second day of the 2021 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship resulted in Willamette University moving up five spots into 13th place in the team standings on Wednesday, May 12, as the Bearcats qualified for the final two rounds of the tournament at the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center. Austin Davis (Jr., Culver City, CA/Culver City HS) and Andrew Kibbee (Jr., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS) each shot 1-over par to lead the Bearcats in the second round.

Willamette was tied for 18th place after Tuesday's first round, after opening the tournament with a score of 304 on the par 70 Palmer Course. On Wednesday, the Bearcats carded a team score of 13-over 297 on the par 71 Jones Course. The Bearcats own an overall score of 601.

Davis ended the second round tied with four other golfers for 10th place in the individual standings. He has achieved a score of 4-over par 145 through 36 holes, after earning a 73 on the Palmer Course and a 72 on the Jones Course. He was tied for 23rd place after the first round.

During the second round, Kibbee matched Davis with a 72, while Alex Weirth (So., Port Orchard, WA/Crosspoint Academy) shot a 76, and Aunders Erickson (Grad., Portland, OR/Westview HS/Ohio Wesleyan Univ.) added a 77 for the Bearcats. Riley Lankford shot an 85 in the second round.

Weirth is tied for 48th in the overall standings at 151 (75-76). Kibbee is tied for 63rd at 152 (80-72) and Erickson is tied for 71st at 153 (76-77). Lankford's score is 172 (87-85).

The NCAA Championship began with 37 teams, but only the top 18 teams advanced into the final two rounds, set for Thursday, May 13 and Friday, May 14. In addition, the top six golfers who were not on any of the top 18 teams also made the cut for the final two rounds.

Illinois Wesleyan University, which held the lead after 18 holes, remained in first place on Wednesday after shooting a 286 on the Palmer Course for an overall score of 12-over par 576. Methodist University moved up two spots into second place with a 281 on the Palmer Course for a 36-hole score of 581.

Guilford College (N.C.) surged up six positions into third place with a 286 on the Palmer Course in the second round for a total of 588. Denison University (Ohio) advanced eight spots into fourth place with a 285 on the Palmer Course and 590 overall. Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) was in fifth place with a 291 on the Palmer Course and a total score of 591.

Huntingdon College (Ala.) slipped from second place down to sixth place after carding a 305 on the Jones Course on Wednesday. Huntingdon's overall score went to 594. University of St. Thomas (Minn.) was seventh after 36 holes at 595 following a score of 299 on the Jones Course.

Andre Chi of Methodist topped the individual leaderboard after 36 holes at 4-under par 137. He shot a 5-under  65 on the Palmer Course on Wednesday after shooting a 1-over 72 on the Jones Course.

Three golfers -- Jimmy Morton from Illinois Wesleyan, Will Hocker of Webster University (Mo.), and Alex Kubik from Nebraska Wesleyan University -- were tied for second at 141. Morton shot 70-71, Hocker carded 69-72, and Kubik shot 74-67.

Four competitors shared fifth place at 143. They were Rob Wuethrich (72-71) of Illinois Wesleyan, Marc Mitchell (72-71) of Denison, Jason Folker (71-72) from Carnegie Mellon, and Glavine Schugel (70-73) of St. Johns University (Minn.). Cooper Hrabak of Methodist was ninth at 144 (75-69).