LEBANON, Pa. – A tough-luck opening round for the IUP men’s golf program sees the team in the middle of the pack at the 2024 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships, held Friday at the par-72 Iron Valley Golf Club. 
 
Gannon played a nearly flawless opening round, sitting comfortably in first place by 11 shots heading into round two. The Golden Knights are seeking their first conference title in school history and find themselves atop the leaderboard with a clinical mark of -10 (278). 
 
Gannon’s Michael Wareham is in first place at four under par, while the remainder of the scoring lineup is tied for second at a two-under clip. Millersville is second in the team standings at 289 (+1), followed by Pitt-Johnstown (304), West Chester (308) and IUP (310). 
 
Friday’s opening round saw an up and down day for IUP. John Olsen paced the Crimson Hawks, finishing 10th individually with a two-over 74. 
 
Olsen eagled the par-five third hole and added four birdies in the opening round. Two double bogeys one holes one and 18 derailed what was otherwise a strong round for Olsen, who is beginning to play at a consistently high level. 
 
Olsen was particularly effective at par five holes on Friday – highlighted by the eagle on hole three – finishing the round at a three-under clip across those four holes. 
 
Ben De Castro is tied for 11th individually after the opening round of his PSAC Championships debut. De Castro steadily carded 13 pars and added IUP’s second eagle of the day at the par-five 16th hole. His 13 pars were second in the tournament field behind Millersville’s Bo Meakim (17). 
 
Guillermo Salazar shook of a +5 mark on the front nine, closing the round at a one-under clip over the last five holes. Salazar climbed up the individual leaderboard, looking to carry the momentum into Saturday after landing in a tie for 28th with an 80. 
 
Evan Lewis made his debut at the PSAC Championships with an 81 that included a birdie on his opening hole of the tournament. Alex Swinnerton carded an uncharacteristic 82 in rounding out the IUP lineup. 
 
As a team, IUP carded two eagles and 12 double bogeys or higher. 
 
Team Leaderboard 
1. Gannon – 278 (-10) 
2. Millersville – 289 (+1) 
3. Pitt-Johnstown – 304 (+16) 
4. West Chester – 308 (+20) 
5. IUP – 310 (+22) 
 
Individual Leaderboard 
1. Michael Wareham (Gannon) – 68 (-4) 
T2. Elijah Ruppert (Gannon) – 70 (-2) 
T2. Giovanni Delorenzi (Gannon) – 70 (-2) 
T2. Timothy Peters (Millersville) – 70 (-2) 
T2. Mattia Parrini (Gannon) – 70 (-2) 
 
IUP Scores 
10. John Olsen – 74 (+2) 
T11. Ben De Castro – 75 (+3) 
T28. Guillermo Salazar – 80 (+8) 
T30. Evan Lewis – 81 (+9) 
T33. Alex Swinnerton – 82 (+10) 
 
Up Next 
IUP looks to gain ground in the team standings during Saturday’s second round. 
 
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