BRUNSWICK, Ga.- The Ave Maria University men's golf team concluded their first tournament of the spring season on Tuesday, wrapping up play at the Tenth Annual Coastal Georgia Winter Invitational. The tournament, which was played at the Brunswick Country Club, saw the Gyrenes finish in 14th among a strong contingent of NAIA programs.

Two Ave Maria golfers finished in the top third of the field, posting scores among the top 30. The lowest Ave Maria score of the day was carded by Gabriel DeCasas, who shot a two-over 74. For the tournament, the freshman finished one shot behind Jonah Manning, whose 77 allowed him to tie for 23rd place with a two-round score of 151. DeCasas' 152 for the tournament was good enough for a tie for 28th, a six-spot improvement from his spot at the end of the first round.

Another pair of Gyrenes improved their scores from the first round, and moved up the leaderboard as Ave Maria improved their team score by five shots. Roch Aubert and Thomas Baycroft both shot an 83 in the second round, with Baycroft improving his score by six shots in the final round. The biggest improvement between rounds came from Michael Lis-Planells, who followed up a first round 95 with an 84 in the final round.

Coastal Georgia widened their lead on the final day, and won the team championship by eight shots over SCAD-Savannah. Four of the top five teams in the tournament were Sun Conference teams, including third place USC Beaufort and fifth place St. Thomas. The individual champion was USCB's Dawson Peters, who won by two shots over Coastal Georgia's Eli Scott.

Next on the schedule for the Gyrene golf team is a tri-match played at the Lake Wales Country Club. Ave Maria will face Webber International University and SUNY Delhi on February 28 in an individual scoring event. The next tournament is scheduled for March 9-10, when the Gyrenes play in the Evangel Spring Invitational at the Rivercut Golf Club in Springfield, Missouri.