Rd. 1 Results | Rd. 1 Results (PDF) | Rd. 2 Tee Times

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. - Playing in its first ever NCAA Central/West Regional, the Cal State East Bay men's golf team finished the first round of play tied for eighth place in the field of 20 teams at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Ariz. Playing on the Gold Course, the Pioneers carded a first-round 296 (+8) to draw even with St. Cloud State and sit six strokes back of the top five.

Blake Ahlin paced East Bay on the first day of the three-day competition, finishing at four-under with a 68 to tie for fourth overall. The Lemoore native posted an eagle, six birdies and seven pars, going one under through his first nine holes before carding a three-under 33 on holes one through nine. After the turn, Ahlin carded an eagle on the par-five first hole and was six-under through 15 holes. Ahlin finished the day tied with Cal State Stanislaus' Trevor Blair, who ranks 10th among individuals in Division II, and sits just three strokes back of Chico State's Kyle Souza who posted a 65 (-7) to claim first place after 18 holes at the regional.

Behind Ahlin was Chris Herzog, who finished with a 75 (+3) on the first day, recovering from four bogeys in the first nine holes to post one birdie and seven pars on the front nine. Herzog ended the day in a 10-way tie for 42nd in the field of 108 players, but is just five strokes back of the top 15. One stroke back of Herzog, A.J. Warren posted a four-over 76 to open the tournament, taking two strokes off his back-nine score to go one-over on the front, including a birdie and six pars. Warren enters the second round tied with 14 other players for 62nd overall.

Right on Warren's tail is Jeff Cornez who carded a first-round 77 (+5) to tie with nine other players for 66th. Cornez finished the day with a pair of birdies. Rounding out the Pioneer contingent was A.J. Maxedon, who finished with an eight-over 80 to tie with four others for 92nd.

Four of the top five players in the individual standings after day one hail from the CCAA, led by Souza's 65. Fellow Wildcat Eric Frazzetta carded a five-under 67 to finish the day in third, while Colorado School of Mines' Jim Knous sits in second, one stroke back of Souza.

The No. 7-ranked Wildcats are also leading the team competition, finishing the day with a 15-under 273 to hold a 10-stroke lead over Colorado School of Mines and No. 3 Cal State Stanislaus, who both posted a five-under 263 to tie for second on day one. Host and No. 15 Grand Canyon enters round two in fourth with a first-round score of 285 (-3), while Cal State Monterey Bay sits in fifth after posting a two-over 290 to open the regional.

Cal State East Bay currently holds a lead over two nationally ranked schools in No. 17 Hawaii Hilo and No. 25 Colorado Springs which sit in 11th and 14th place, respectively, following day one at the regional. East Bay and St. Cloud State enter round two with a two-stroke lead over Nebraska-Kearney, a three-stroke advantage over Bemidji State and sit four strokes ahead of the Vulcans.

The three-day regional will continue on Tuesday with the second round kicking off at 7:30 a.m. After three rounds, the top five teams and two individuals in each regional will advance to the finals, to be held at The Cardinal Club in Simpsonville, Ky., May 15-19 as part of the 2012 Division II Spring Championships Festival.

The Pioneers are set to tee off in the first groups on Tuesday beginning on Hole 1. Ahlin will get things underway at 7:30 a.m., followed by Maxedon at 7:40 a.m., Warren at 7:50 a.m., Cornez at 8 a.m. and Herzog at 8:10 a.m. Live results will be available throughout the day here.