Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Conference USA Championship
Middle Tennessee in second after day one of the CUSA Championship
4/21/2025 4:50:00 PM | Men's Golf
TEXARKANA, Ark. – The Blue Raiders fired an opening round of 3-under-par 285 on Monday to sit in second place after the first day of the Conference USA Championship at Texarkana Country Club. Junior Luke Perkins paced Middle Tennessee, tying his career low with a round of 3-under-par 63 and is tied for fourth in the individual standings.
Liberty is atop the leaderboard after posting a round of 11-under-par 277. The Blue Raiders are in second at 3-under-par 285, while LA Tech is third at even-par 288, UTEP in fourth at 2-over-par 290 and Kennesaw State, NM State and Sam Houston are tied for fifth at 3-over-par 291.
Liberty's Josh Ryan leads the individual standings after firing an opening round of 5-under-par 67. He was followed by his teammate Ike Joy and LA Tech's Niilo Maki-Petaja in second at 4-under-par 68, while Perkins and UTEP's Braden Smith are tied for fourth at 3-under-par 69.
The CUSA Championship continues with 18 holes on Tuesday, Apr. 22, and a final round on Wednesday, Apr. 23. The top four teams will advance to match play on Thursday, Apr. 24. Second round action will begin at 8:00 a.m. CT. The Blue Raiders will be paired with Liberty and LA Tech.
The Lineup
• Junior Luke Perkins paced the Blue Raiders, tying his career low with an opening round of 3-under-par 63 and is tied for fourth in the individual standings.
• Senior JJ ZImmer carded an opening round of 1-under-par 71 and is tied for ninth in the individual standings.
• Redshirt junior Markus Varjun fired a first round of even-par 72 and sits in a tie for 14th place.
• Redshirt junior Carter Maneth posted an opening round of 1-over-par 73 that features a pair of birdies on holes 17 and 18 to close out his round. He is tied for 19th.
• Freshman Thad Whitfield rounded out the Blue Raiders with an opening round of 2-over-par 74. He is tied for 23rd/
Coach's Comments: Mark McEntire
"It was great to get these guys inside the ropes and back into competition," said Head Coach Mark McEntire. "Great round from Carter today with a huge birdie on 18. Luke also gave us a great round. He loves this place, and I hope he keeps it going. The team played solid today and gave us the start we were looking for. We are excited to tee it up tomorrow."
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Players Mentioned
