The first days of the men’s NCAA Regionals were disappointing for in-state teams.
Wake Forest, N.C. State and North Carolina each struggled and have significant ground to make up in order to finish in the top five and advance to the NCAA Championship.
Marshall Meisel provided a bright spot for Wake with a 4-under-par 66 Tuesday, leaving him at even-par after 36 holes. But Meisel could be as much as seven strokes behind in the race for the one individual spot to advance from the Amherst, Virginia, regional.
Wake has four teams to catch and nine strokes to make up to advance as a team. Meisel is tied for 12th, six shots behind individual leader Jackson Van Paris, a Pinehurst native playing for Vanderbilt. Tom Haberer is at 3-over, Jakob Melin and Scotty Kennon are at 7-over and Kyle Haas is 11-over. Colin Dutton of UNC Greensboro, playing as an individual, is 10-over.
Tennesseee, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Arizona are in the top four places. Florida Gulf Coast has a one-stroke lead over Arkansas for the fifth slot.
N.C. State is eight shots from the cut line and UNC is nine out after one round at the Urbana, Illinois, regional. Mebane native Nick Mathews, who finished in the top 15 at last year’s national championship, shot even-par 71 to stay in contention to advance as an individual. Michael Vick led the Wolfpack with 69.
UNC’s David Ford, ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the season, shot 73 for the Tar Heels, who were led by Keaton Vo’s 71. Illinois, Texas Tech, UNLV and Troy top the team standings with Marquette and Long Beach State tied for fifth. Jackson Buchanan of Illinois shot 63 to take a four-shot lead.
