JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.— Montreat's men's golf team played in the East Tennessee Collegiate on Monday and Tuesday. The two-day affair saw a total of 70 finishers across 14 teams compete. The Johnson City Country Club hosted the tournament.
 
Montreat finished fifth in the team placements at 2-over-par, shooting a program-record score of 578 across two 18-hole rounds. They finished two strokes back of fourth-place Truett McConnell University and four strokes better than IU Southeast tallied 582 strokes. Montreat's initial 18-hole team score of 289 also surpassed the school record for the lowest team score for a round in a tournament.
 
Individually, Alex Murphy led the way for the Cavaliers, finishing in a tie for 11^th. Cooper Crump and Colton Clevenger each placed in a tie for 23^rd. Austin Lineberger ended his day in a tie for 27^th position. Luke Hood concluded his tournament in 69^th place.
 
In round one, freshman Crump shot an impressive round at 3-under-par. He tallied six birdies, including three in a row on the back nine, and nine pars for a round of 69. Behind him, Murphy finished his round with an even 72. He had four birdies and 12 pars. Lineberger and Clevenger both shot a 74. Their rounds of 2-over-par consisted of five birdies and eight pars and three birdies and 11 pars, respectively. Hood rounded out the opening round for the Cavs with an 83. He sank eight pars in his initial 18 holes. After day one, Montreat was tied for sixth with Bluefield University and Milligan University at 1-over-par as a team.
 
Montreat copied and pasted its record-breaking score from round one and used it for the final round as it shot another 289. Murphy notched a score of 70 in his final round of the event. His card featured five birdies and 10 pars. Clevenger swung for a 71. He recorded three birdies and 13 pars in his round. Lineberger shot an even 72 in his second round. The sophomore from Crouse, N.C. holed the only eagle for the Cavaliers during the event. He also nailed a birdie and 13 pars. After Crump's strong start, he then carded a 76 to conclude his tournament. Three birdies and nine pars were on his scorecard in the round. Hood scored an 85 in his final round with two birdies and eight pars.
 
"One thing I've learned about our guys is that they are a mentally tough team," said head coach John Sullivan. "To play this well so early in the season is a great confidence booster as we head towards conference play. I'm so proud of these guys for all the hard work they've been putting in."
 
The next scheduled event for the Cavaliers will be the Koala Fall Invitational held on Oct. 6 and 7 at the Deercroft Golf Club in Wagram, N.C.