GOODYEAR, Ariz.—Freshman golfer Isaiah Ellis led Utah Valley with a 4-under-par 68 on Sunday in the first round of the Loyola Intercollegiate at Palm Valley Golf Club and is tied for fifth on the 116-player leaderboard.
 
Ellis eagled the 515-yard par 5 second hole and carded five birdies, including four on the back nine for his 4-under-par 68. Ellis is playing individually, and his score does not count towards the Utah Valley team score.

"It was an OK start to the spring season," said Utah Valley head coach Chris Curran. "We struggled a bit coming home today. Isaiah, Dane, and Kai played some good golf today. It's a pretty tight leaderboard. We'll need a good one tomorrow to try and separate from the middle of the pack."
 
As a team, Utah Valley sits alone in ninth on the 20-team leaderboard after shooting an opening round 1-under-par 287. North Dakota State sits atop the leaderboard at 13-under-par 275. The Wolverines are one of 10 teams to come in under par in round one.
 
Dane Huddleston shot a 3-under-par 69 on Sunday and is tied for ninth. Huddleston recorded five birdies in his round, including four on the front nine. 
 
Kai Iguchi is tied for 14th after carding a 2-under-par 70 in the opening round. Iguchi tallied four birdies in round one. 
 
Ryan Seamons shot an even par 82 in round one and is tied for 42nd. He recorded four birdies, including three on the front side in his opening round.
 
Braden O'Grady shot a 4-over-par 76 and is tied for 84th after one round of play. He eagled the 540-yard par 5 11th hole and tallied three birdies on the day.
 
Andrew Hawk shot an opening-round 5-over-par 77 and is tied for 91st. He recorded three birdies in round one. 
 
Loyola Maryland's Michael Crowley and North Dakota State's Jake Skarperud share the individual lead after round one, carding scores of 7-under-par 65. 
 
Utah Valley will play round two of the Loyola Intercollegiate on Monday at Palm Valley Golf Club. The Wolverines will tee off at 7:45 a.m. (MT). Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com.