GLENSIDE, Pa. — Freshman Anthony Garcia is tied for first at 5-under par through the first 27 holes of the Wildcat Invitational on Monday at LuLu Country Club's par-71 course. 

 

Garcia is tied with Villanova's Peter Weaver after carding a 6-under 65 in the opening round by shooting a 4-under 31 on the back nine following a 2-under 34 on the first nine holes. The Miami, Fla. native made five birdies, including three in a row on the first, second and third holes, and one bogey over the final nine holes during his first round. In the first nine holes of the second round, Garcia shot a 1-over 37. 

 

In doing so, Garcia guided the Explorers to a total score of even-par 428, good enough for second place in the team standings. The Explorers are one stroke behind host Villanova (427) for first place. 

 

Along with Garcia, the Explorers saw senior Nikita Romanov, freshman Kevin Lydon, and sophomore Alex Gekas each finish the first 27 holes in the top 30. 

 

Romanov is tied for 11th place after being 1-over par. The Wilmington, Del. native started out strong, shooting a 2-under 69 in the first round but posted a 3-over 39 to start the final round. 

 

Lydon currently sits in a tie for 22nd at 3-over. The Doylestown, Pa. native carded a 1-over 71 in the first round, but shot 2-over to begin the final round.  

 

Gekas rounded out the Explorers' top four by being in a tie for 29th at 4-over. The York, Pa. native bounced back from a 3-over 74 in the opening round to card a 1-over 37 to start the final round.  
 

The final nine holes of the event will begin at 8 a.m. Live statistics for the Wildcat Invitational will be available on GolfStat and a live stream for the final round is available on College Golf Network.