COEUR d'ALENE, Idaho – Connor Miele posted an even-par 142 over his first two rounds at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championships on Monday, leading the Montana State University Billings men's golf team at the Coeur d'Alene Resort on Day 1.
 
Miele had scores of 72 in Round 1 and 70 in Round 2 on the par-71, 6,803-yard course, and is tied for sixth place overall among the individual leaders with a 142. The Yellowjackets had rounds of 303 and 296 and are in sixth place with a cumulative score of 599.
 
"I was pleased how we were able to improve to a 296 in the afternoon, shaving seven shots from the morning," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "It was nice to see improvement throughout the day. I'm confident that our guys are going to play even better tomorrow, and I hope we can improve on that score."
 
Miele had six birdies and six bogeys on the day, and played his other 24 holes at even par. After playing 1-over par in the first round, Miele got off to a strong start and was 2-under par through the first eight holes of his second round. The junior lefty made birdie both times on the par-4, 435-yard seventh hole, and had just two bogeys total his first time through the course.

"I am proud of our team to have cut a lot of strokes, and I was just in control today mentally and physically," Miele said. "I felt like I approached each shot with confidence, got off to a great start in the afternoon, and had a lot of pars and birdies." 

"Connor had a very solid day, and played very well this morning and backed it up with a 70 in the afternoon," Woodin said. "I rarely saw him miss a shot in the time I spent with him today. He was striking the ball well and had total control of his game."
 

Fellow junior Michael Porter sits in 22nd place, after shooting a two-round total of 151 (76-75). Porter played just one hole higher than bogey on the day, and made birdie on the par-4, 429-yard 16th hole his second time through. The junior had a string of 13 straight holes at par or better in holes 5-through-17 in the second round.
 
"Michael worked hard, and just had a hard time getting birdie putts to fall," Woodin said. "He had several makeable birdies and was burning the edges."
 
Both Porter and Miele were outstanding on the course's five par-3 holes, as Porter played them even with 10 pars and Miele was 1-over on those holes. "One of the reasons Connor and Michael were our top two was that both were very good on the par threes," Woodin said. "Those holes are not long, but they are very difficult and require precise iron play. It is easy to get a big score on a short hole here, and it was nice that both of them handled those holes well."
 
Freshman Austin Walter totaled a score of 155 (80-75) and is in a tie for 25th place. Walter had four birdies on the day – all in the second round – and carded the lone eagle for the Yellowjackets to kick off Round 2. After a solid drive on the par-5, 540-yard first hole, Walter played his 5-iron within 12 feet of the cup and drained the putt to save two strokes.
 
"Austin improved from his morning round to the afternoon," Woodin said. "He did a nice job with four birdies and an eagle for us."
 
Freshmen Braden Luper and Scott Larson rounded out the field of five for the 'Jackets, with Luper shooting a 157 (75-82) and Larson firing a 162 (86-76). Luper totaled six birdies in his two rounds, including twice saving a stroke on the par-4, 269-yard 17th hole.
 
Larson showed the most improvement among the entire team, as he bettered his morning score by 10 strokes. Larson had three birdies on the day, and played the front-9 at even-par in his second round.
 
"Braden played well in the morning, and Scott came back with a 76, so overall it was a pretty good day for the guys," Woodin said. "We hope to do even better tomorrow."
 
Western Washington's Brett Johnson set a GNAC Championships course record with a 64 in Round 1, and teammate Chris Hatch matched the previous low-round score with a 65 in the first round to lead first-place Western Washington as the top-two individuals so far. The Vikings posted a team score of 555 and have a hefty 13-stroke lead over second-place Simon Fraser (568, 282-286). Concordia University is in third (574, 286-288), Northwest Nazarene is in fourth (580, 290-290), and Saint Martin's is a dozen strokes ahead of MSUB in fifth place at 587 (295-292).
 
Miele is six strokes back of Hatch, the leader, and enters the third and final round tied with WWU's Jeffrey Marcum in the top-10. "I haven't been in a position to contend for a college event in a while, so I'm glad to have turned it on and be peaking at this time," Miele said. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow and I'm ready to end the season with a bang."
 
Tuesday's third and final round is set to tee off at 7:30 a.m. Pacific time.
 
THE BUZZ: Miele was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…Miele matched the best round of his season with his second-round 70…the junior entered the tournament with a season scoring average of 75.5.
 
2016 GNAC Men's Golf Championships – Day 1 Results
Coeur d'Alene Resort | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho | April 18, 2016
Team – 1. Western Washington, 555 (276-279); 6. MSU Billings, 599 (303-296). Individuals – 1. Chris Hatch, WWU, 136 (65-71); T6. Connor Miele, MSUB, 142 (72-70); 22. Michael Porter, MSUB, 151 (76-75); T25. Austin Walter, MSUB, 155 (80-75); 28. Braden Luper, MSUB, 157 (75-82); 30. Scott Larson, MSUB, 162 (86-76).