RESULTS (PDF)

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Cooper Collins picked up right where he left off in his prolific sophomore campaign, while Morehead State opened the spring portion of its 2017-18 schedule with a fifth-place finish at the Pizza Hut Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational on Tuesday evening at the Sunbrook Golf Course.

"This will be a great foundation for the rest of the spring," said head coach Matthew Martin. "Even though the execution was far from perfect, we are definitely further along than this time last week. I am very excited to see how this team continues to progress."

Collins added to his three top-10 finishes from the fall season, tying for 10th place among the event's 54 overall competitors. The Lexington, Ky. native recorded two rounds of 72, one of 13 golfers to finish even par or better.

Each of Morehead State's five participants equaled or improved upon his first-round score and finished with a top-25 ranking.

Redshirt junior Zach Smith shot under par in the tournament's second round, going 76-71 on the day for a 17th-place finish. Senior Blake Cartwright followed closely, tying for 18th place at 75-73.

Joe Muschong tied for 21st with a score of 75-74, while junior Nick Wilkins tied for 25th at 76-75.

As the lone institution representing the Ohio Valley Conference, Morehead State was one of only two teams in the top five to conclude the contest better than it started. The Eagles finished 12-over at 298-290. Reigning champion Utah Valley won the tournament for the third consecutive season with a 281-284 finish.

Morehead State returns to action on Feb. 26, traveling to Longwood, Fla. for the Stetson Intercollegiate.