HERSHEY, Pa. – Junior Zach Layser (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO) and senior Nic McGee (South Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport) each shot a first round 86 to lead the Lycoming College golf team to a first-round score of 355 at the Commonwealth Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon, April 25, at the par-71, 6,482 yard Hershey Country Club East Course.
 
Layser and McGee are just two strokes outside the top 20 in the 45-man field. Meanwhile, Lycoming's first-round score of 355 is the team's lowest since the 2009 squad shot a 351 on the second day of the 2009 Commonwealth Conference Championship.
 
The Warriors are tied for seventh in the conference championships with Arcadia, sitting one shot ahead of Hood (356) and two behind Widener (353) after the first round. Messiah has a 10-stroke lead on Stevenson after a first-round score of 311.
 
Layser started the tournament with a 41 on the front nine, posting a birdie on the par-5, 511-yard No. 6 and adding four pars. On the back, he added three more pars while shooting a 45. McGee shot a 44 on the front nine at the course, also posting a birdie on No. 6 before settling in for a 42 on the back nine, posting four pars.
 
Senior Will Dietz (Mansfield, Pa./Mansfield) is close behind after shooting an 88 to finish the day in 28^th place and senior John Koch (Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain) added a 95 to round out the scoring four. Freshman Jesse Treur (Zuidoostbeemster, Netherlands/DaVinci College Purmerend) shot a 107.
 
The Warriors will wrap up the Commonwealth Conference Championship on Sunday, April 26, when they kick off the second round of the tournament at 8 a.m.