WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.—Sophomore Evan Eichenlaub (Bethlehem, Pa.) fired a 1-over 72 to grab a share of the first round lead as the 21st-ranked Babson College men’s golf team sits in eight place after day one of the Williams Invitational at Taconic Golf Club on Saturday. 

The Beavers shot 307 and will enter Sunday’s final round 11 strokes off the lead. Middlebury was the lone team to break 300 on day one and its score of 12-over 296 was seven strokes clear of Tufts, Endicott and Gustavus Adolphus, who are all tied for second at 19-over. 

Eichenlaub is part of a four-way tie atop the leaderboard along with Leland Tsai of Amherst, Bradshaw Underhill of Middlebury and Endicott’s Tyler Baker at 1-over. He birdied two of the three par-5s and made three bogeys in his opening round. 

First-year Aman Vantipalli (Alpharetta, Ga.) is tied for 22nd after shooting a 5-over 76, while senior John Baldwin (Little Compton, R.I.) carded a 7-over 78 on Saturday and sits in a tie for 39th position. Sophomore Jack Berry (Western Springs, Ill.) is tied for 71st at 10-over after shooting an 81 and first-year Howie Poon (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) posted an 11-over 82 in his collegiate debut and is tied for 75th place. 

Final round play at the Williams Invitational gets underway at 9 a.m. on Sunday. 

TOURNAMENT NOTES

•    Eichenlaub owns a 74.33 average in three rounds at Taconic GC, which includes firing a 71 in last year’s final round. 

•    Saturday’s score was Babson’s highest at Taconic GC since the 2019 final round when it posted a 313.

•    The Beavers entered the weekend with six consecutive top-five finishes at the Williams Invitational going back to 2016.