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Ethan Farnam hits to the green in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Ryan Grauman tees off on 12th in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Ethan Ashbrook hits his approach shot in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Blake Hathcoat surveys the green in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Ethan Farnam sinks a putt in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Ryan Grauman hits from the trap in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Ryan Grauman eyes his drive on 13th in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Ethan Ashbrook walks off the green in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Ethan Farnam swings from the fairway in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Mikey Slesinski gets out of the rough in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Mikey Slesinski smiles as he walks off the green in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Blake Hathcoat tees off on 16th in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

A view of the course in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Ethan Ashbrook eyes the green in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Michael Slesinski hits from the tee block in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Michael Slesinski walks onto the green in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at UT Golf Club on May 14, 2019.

Men's Golf 5/14/2019 3:28:00 PM

GOLF | Gaels Fight Back on Day 2 of NCAA Regionals

Saint Mary's posted one of the best team scores on Tuesday after a trying first round.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Gaels bounced back from a tough opening round at the NCAA Regionals with an excellent performance on Tuesday to leapfrog two spots in the standings and are positioned to move even higher on the leaderboard in tomorrow's final round.

THE LEADERBOARD
Saint Mary's improved by 17 strokes in the middle round compared to yesterday's result and are now tied for 10th among the competitive 14-team field. The Gaels trail ninth-place San Jose State by only three strokes and eighth-place No. 43 Marquette by a manageable 10 strokes.

SMC's 6-over combined score was tied for the fifth best performance by any team on the day. The Gaels had a solid all-around effort and were led by Michael Slesinski's even round. Ethan Farnam improved by eight strokes from his previous score to shoot 1-over while Ryan Grauman fired a 2-over middle round, seven strokes better than his opening round total.

Ethan Ashbrook was 3-over on the second day of action and Blake Hathcoat rounded out the team's scoreboard at 7-over.

The host No. 6 Texas expanded their lead to 16 strokes with a 10-under showing on Tuesday. No. 18 Pepperdine and No. 19 Clemson share the second spot at even while No. 30 TCU and No. 31 Arkansas round out the top-5.

Four players are currently tied for first with two each coming from Texas and Pepperdine. Steven Chervony and Cole Hammer hold the top spot for the Longhorns while Joe Highsmith and Joshua McCarthy lead the Waves.

Fans can view the full leaderboard by clicking here.

QUOTABLE
Redshirt sophomore Michael Slesinski

"Personally, this is one of the hardest collegiate courses I've played. Out here there's hazard on either side and you're not going to make a good score if you're not hitting your tee shots well."
"I scrambled really well today, my putting and short game saved me."

Head coach Scott Hardy

"I'm proud our guys came back and played the way they're capable of playing. It's a young team and they're inexperienced but they've shown they can have really good days like this. We just need to get to the point where we can string more of those together."
"It's always a goal to beat your seeding. We're the 10th seed and to finish above that would be a good goal. I want our team to finish on a high note so they're motivated in the summer to keep working hard and to know next year that if they're even better players, we have a real chance of getting through this event."

SECOND ROUND HIGHLIGHTS