April 26, 2003

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Pete Phipps leads Army as the golf team sits tied for second place following the rain soaked first day of the Patriot League Championships at the Saucon Valley Country Club in Center Valley, Pa., Saturday.

Phipps opened the day carding a two-over-par 74. Playing 27 holes of the 54-hole tournament on Saturday, the freshman shot a team-best 36 strokes in the final nine holes of the day to take third place. Phipps sits three strokes behind medallists Brian Crum and Billy Hurley, both from Navy, who carded matching 107s the first day.

Senior captain Kevin Lee, who finished tied for first place at the 2002 league championship with teammate Scott Manley and Hurley, shot an opening round par 72. His 72 tied for the best 18-hole mark of the day. Lee handed in a 39 on the final nine holes to tie for fourth place.

Manley, the reigning Patriot League "Player of the Year," is tied for 18th place with 118 strokes following the first 27 holes. Matt Stanchina (22nd), D.J. Reeves (T-23rd) and Austin Luher (33rd) round out the Army contingent.

"We are still struggling in the four, five, and six spots," said head coach Jimmy Ray Clevenger. "Tomorrow we need everyone to post good numbers in order to win.

"It rained most of the morning and the course was really wet. All three freshmen struggled. We are relying on them a lot."

Navy (442) leads the team standings by 15 strokes. Army and Lehigh are tied for second place with 457 strokes. American, Lafayette, Bucknell, Colgate and Holy Cross round out the standings.

Day two of the Patriot League Championship will tee-off at 8 a.m. on Sunday at the Saucon Valley Country Club. The winner of the 2003 Patriot League Championship will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

Army won last year's Patriot League Championship by 29 strokes and represented the league at the 2002 Central Regional. The Black Knights finished 26th in their first NCAA appearance in seven years. Army has advanced to postseason play seven times since 1989.

TEAM STANDINGS					ARMY INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
1. Navy 	297	145	442		3.    Pete Phipps	74	36	110
2. Army 	304	153	457		T-4.  Kevin Lee 	72	39	111
   Lehigh	307	150	457		T-18. Scott Manley	77	41	118
4. American	311	156	467		22.   Matt Stanchina	81	39	120
5. Lafayette	315	153	468		T-23. D.J. Reeves	82	39	121
6. Bucknell	319	158	477		33.   Austin Luher	82	42	124
7. Colgate	336	158	494
8. Holy Cross	341	169	510