HERSHEY, Pa. — The No. 16 Wittenberg men's golf team leads by one stroke in the 16-team field after Sunday's first round at The Hershey Cup. Three Tigers sit in the top 10 of the individual standings.

The Basics

• Venue: Hershey Country Club - Hershey, Pa., Par 71, Yardage: 6,500
• Playing Conditions: Wind speeds 2-11 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. Greens were receptive but fast and tricky with a lot of challenging hole locations.
• Wittenberg is ranked No. 16 nationally in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek NCAA Division III Coaches Poll, which was released on March 22.
• In the 16-team field, RPI, Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg each received votes in the March 22 Bushnell/Golfweek NCAA Division III Coaches Poll.

The Tournament

• Wittenberg shot a 17-over-par 301 to lead McDaniel and NYU by one stroke after Sunday's opening round. Franklin & Marshall and Stevenson are tied for fourth at 21-over-par.
• Senior J.F. Aber (Pittsburgh, Pa./Sewickley Academy) and junior Jake Yarbrough (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) closed Sunday as Wittenberg's top individual performers. They sit two shots off the lead in a four-way tie for third place with a 2-over-par 73.
• McDaniel's Charlie Dolan leads the 87-man field with an even-par 71, and Penn State Altoona's Peter Nusbaum is one shot back in second with a 1-over-par 72.
• Senior Nicklaus Pidgeon (Homeworth, Ohio/West Branch) is in an eight-way tie for 10th with a 4-over-par 75.
• Junior Joshua Wright (Wadsworth, Ohio/Akron Hoban) is tied for 44th with a 9-over-par 80.
• Sophomore Mark Sulek (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) is tied for 64th with a 14-over-par 85.

Quote - Senior Nicklaus Pidgeon

• "The course played very difficult today because of the wind out of the north for the most part of the day, which, on a golf course, is normally pretty tough. The greens were fast and very sloped. After the ninth hole, I was frustrated, but I knew I wasn't hitting the ball that bad. I just wasn't hitting enough greens. I tried to really simplify things at the turn, just focusing on a target and a number, and Coach Carlson walked the back nine with me to keep me in it. He helped me with my confidence knowing I could bounce back. I chipped in on 10 for birdie, so I thought that could get something to spark. I hit the driver really solid on the back nine, so I gave myself good chances into the green and gave myself lots of looks at birdie, and some putts finally started to drop. I just held a good mentality and helped the team by staying in it and not giving up."

Up Next

• The Tigers return to action on Monday for the second and final round of The Hershey Cup.

Above: Junior Joshua Wright watches the flight of his ball during Sunday's opening round of The Hershey Cup.