GREEENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College men and Belmont Abbey College women hold first round leads after day one action of the Fourth Annual Tusculum Fall Classic, held this week at Link Hills Country Club.? (Men's Results?| Women's Results)?

The Pioneer men, who are the three-time defending champions of this?event,?fired a 293 on Monday and lead by one shot over Lincoln Memorial University, while four others are within four strokes of the lead.

The Women's tournament is also a competitive one as Belmont Abbey is also looking to defend its 2008 title as the Crusaders fired a 312 and lead by three shots over UNC Pembroke (315) and four ahead of host Tusculum (316).

In the chase for the combined championship (men/women scores combined), Tusculum leads with 609, just six shots ahead of Wingate University (315) and Catawba College (315).? Wingate won last year's combined title, halting Tusculum's two-year reign.

Matthew Campbell of Newberry College?(B-Team) seized the first round lead with his two-under par 69 and leads by one stroke?over second place Brandon Squier of Lenoir-Rhyne University.? Tusculum rookie David Talley is amongst a trio of players tied for third at even par?(71), along with Jason Garrett (Lenoir-Rhyne) and Jonathan Clapp (Catawba).? Brad Williams (Limestone College) and Braden Jackson (Wingate) are tied for sixth with 72, while there is a 10-player log-jam for eighth place at (73), including Tusculum senior Glenn Vicary and Pioneer rookie Derek Cantrell (playing as an individual competitor).

In the chase for the Women's medalist title, three players share the first round lead at 75 (+3)?including Carley Warrington (Belmont Abbey), Katja Dammann (UNC Pembroke) and Andrea Velasquez (Wingate).? Three players are one shot behind at 76, including Eileen Purpur (Catawba), Michele Low (Belmont Abbey) and Shauna Walor (UNC Pembroke).? Four more players are tied for seventh at 78, including TC junior Emily Palenkas and last year's medalist Kelsey Babos (Catawba).? Wingate's Ashley Denton and LMU's Brittany McCown are also tied for seventh.

The final round of the 36-hole tournament will begin Tuesday morning at 8:20 a.m. with the women starting on the first hole, while the men will start on the back nine.

- TC -

Tusculum Classic Combined Results (1st Round)
Pl.?? Team????????????????????????? MTOT????WTOT????? TOT
1???? Tusculum????????????????????? 293???????316??????? 609
2???? Catawba?????????????????????? 295???????320??????? 615
?????? Wingate?????????????????????? 296?????? 319??????? 615
4???? Lincoln Memorial??????????? 294?????? 330??????? 624
5???? Lenoir-Rhyne???????????????? 297?????? 334??????? 631
6???? Spartanburg Methodist??? 319?????? 349??????? 668
7???? Brevard????????????????????????305??????? 367??????? 672
8???? Mars Hill?????????????????????? 314??????? 372?????? 686