JACKSON, Tenn. – On the strength of a sensational second round performance, the Tennessee Tech men's golf team closed the first day of play at the Grover Page Classic in fourth place among 12 teams battling in the 54-hole tournament at the Jackson Country Club.

Arkansas State and Murray State were tied for the tourney lead after the first round at 282, and the Red Wolves followed with a solid 284 in the second circuit to close the day at 10-under par 566 and sit on top of the leaderboard.

ASU owns a three-shot lead over tourney host UT Martin, which opened with a 292 and rebounded with a 277, the lowest round of the first two rounds, to finish at 569.

Southern Illinois is third with scored of 290 and 282 for a 572, placing the Salukis six stokes off the pace. The Golden Eagles, sitting in seventh place after a first-round 299, tied for the second-lowest round of the tournament with a 282 and jumped into a tie for fourth place with Murray State. The Racers slipped from their first-place, first-round total with a 299 second round.

"I was very proud of our turnaround from the first to the second round," said head coach Polk Brown. "We dug ourselves into a hole through 18 holes, but we were pleased by how the guys responded in the afternoon. We have a lot of positives to take with us moving into the final round, and we're looking for a strong finish."

Nichols State (583) is two shots back in sixth place, followed by Samford (593), New Orleans (594), Tennessee State (609), John A Logan College (610), Union (611) and Jackson State (623).

Freshman Matthew Giles and senior Neal Gannaway are tied for 12^th place individually after 36 holes. Giles, shined on the longest holes, ranking first in the field in par 5 scoring at seven-under, and his way to rounds of 73 and 71 for a 144 total. He was one of three Golden Eagles, along with Gannaway and A.J. Wilkerson, to record an eagle on Monday. Gannaway's scorecards read 74-70 on his way to 144.

Mitch Thomas bounced back from a first round 75 to finish with a 71 and sits in 24^th place at 146.

Bryce Kendrick, who had nine birdies on the day along with Gannaway, marked scores of 77 and 70 for his 147 total and a tie for 30th place. The Golden Eagle lineup was rounded out by Benjamin Huskey, who had scores of 81 and 76 for a 157 total to place him 59^th.

Golden Eagles Wilkerson and Alexander Riddle played as individuals. Wilkerson shot 77-78—155, while Riddle posted scores of 81-91—172.

The final 18 holes are scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday with a shotgun start.