SAN MARCOS, Calif. - In its fifth and final event of the season Tuesday, the UC San Diego men's golf team won its first-ever NCAA Division I tournament, taking the victory at the St. Mark Invitational.

The host Tritons led wire-to-wire over the two-day, 54-hole tourney, finishing 5-over par with an 857. They had rounds of 275 and 290 Monday and completed their title run with a 292 in Tuesday's third and final round.

CSUN finished a close second, two strokes behind UC San Diego with an 859 (276-291-292). UC Riverside took third with an 888 (282-308-298), 36-over on the par-71, 6398-yard course. All three teams are out of the Big West Conference.

It was UC San Diego's first victory since early February of 2020 when the Tritons won the Fujikura Invitational at Shadowridge in San Diego.

Senior Ryan Vaughan and junior Jared Gross tied for second place, both totaling a 2-under par 211. Each fired a 66 in Monday's opening round. Vaughan followed with a 72 and a 73, while Gross went 73, 72. It was the best career finish for both Tritons.

Two Triton freshmen tied for fourth as Davis Lee and Jerry Wu finished even par at 213. Junior Ethan Chen (+4) tied for ninth, freshman Alex Hanz (+7) and junior Sergi Mata De La Barata Barcons (+7) tied for 11th, freshman Akira Isayama (+8) was 14th, and sophomore Blake Iwaisako (+16) placed 16th. 

Chen, Iwaisako, Gross, and Lee were competing as individuals and did not factor in UC San Diego's team scoring.

Blake Brothers, a junior from CSUN, was the individual medalist at 4-under with a 209. He had rounds of 67, 71, and 71 and was the lone player to not finish a round over par. 

TRITON RESULTS
T-2. Jared Gross* (-2, 66-73-72--211)
T-2: Ryan Vaughan (-2, 66-72-73--211)
T-4. Davis Lee* (E, 68-72-73--213)
T-4. Jerry Wu (E, 67-75-71--213)
T-9. Ethan Chen* (+4, 74-73-70--217)
T-11. Alex Hanz (+7, 71-71-78--220)
T-11. Sergi Mata De La Barata Barcons (+7, 71-73-76--220)
14. Akira Isayama (+8, 75-74-72--221)
16. Blake Iwaisako * (+16, 77-76-76--229) 
* playing as an individual

HIGHLIGHT REEL


WHAT HEAD COACH FRED HANOVER HAS TO SAY


TRITON TIDBITS
• UC San Diego's 275 in the first round wasn't just the lowest round of the tourney, but also the best round of the season for the Tritons. 
• Jared Gross' and Ryan Vaughan's 66's in round one were the lowest round scores by any Triton this season.
• Nine players shot in the 60's in Monday's opening round.
• There were 10 eagles over Monday's 36 holes, eight of those coming from the Tritons and four of those coming from Ryan Vaughan and Alex Hanz, who each had two.
• The Tritons totaled 10 eagles for the tourney - two each for Hanz, Vaughan, and Ethan Chen, and one apiece for Gross, Akira Isayama, Blake Iwaisako, and Jerry Wu. 
• UC San Diego had holed two eagles over its previous four tournaments this season.

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.

Return To Sport… Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local, and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches, and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA, and Big West Conference guidelines, and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.