Maxwell leads Tech contingent

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two rounds are in the books at the Samford Intercollegiate, and Tennessee Tech has plenty of ground to make up, sitting in 16^th place.

Lee Maxwell led the Golden Eagles through the first two rounds of the 2012 spring season, shooting a first-round 79 on Monday and following it up with a 77 in the second round, which began Monday but was not completed until Tuesday morning.

As a team, Tech shot 317 in the first round and 316 in the second to post a team score of 633.

Samford, the host squad, leads the tournament going into Tuesday's final round with a 579. The Bulldogs' Casey O'Toole is the event's individual leader, posting a combined 139 on the heels of a second-round 66.

Behind Maxwell, Travis Ramsey was Tech's next-lowest scorer, finishing with an 80-78=158. Greg Kitts came in at 80-79=159 while Tyler Cassetty shot 78-82=160 and Mason Griffin rounded out the Golden Eagle field at 81-87=168.

Samford holds an eight-stroke advantage over second-place Davidson (587) and an 11-stroke lead over third-place Sam Houston State (590). Belmont (596) and Austin Peay (599) round out the top five.

The rest of the field consists of Winthrop (603), Western Carolina (606), Houston Baptist (606), Evansville (606), Murray State (610), Eastern Kentucky (613), SIU Edwardsville (620), Air Force (621), Southern Illinois (623), Tennessee-Martin (625), Tennessee Tech (633), Nicholls State (633) and Illinois State (635).

The final round is underway this morning. Check TTUSports.com for final tournament results this afternoon.