SAVANNAH, Ga. – Jacob Walsh and Joey Rippel tied for the top individual honors and led The University of Texas at Tyler men's golf team to a first-place finish at the Coca-Cola Intercollegiate Invitational played this weekend at Hunter Golf Course.

Walsh and Rippel finished the 54-hole event with low scores of 216, and overall the Patriots bested second place Christopher Newport by 27 strokes. UT Tyler shot a combined 883 (288-284-311) over the two days to CNU's 910 (303-302-305).

Walsh fired low rounds of 68 and 67 to start the tournament on Friday and closed out with an 81 on Saturday. Rippel shot a 70 and 71 for the first two rounds, and finished up with a 75.

Brandon Ellis finished fourth for the Patriots, shooting a 221 (74-71-76). Luke Loggins fired a 234 (76-75-83) and Cory Pieper shot a 232 (76-77-79).

Overall, host Ohio Wesleyan finished in third place (914), followed by Lehigh (923), Bryant (929) and Savannah College of Art and Design (929). Wheaton, Transylvania, Savannah State, and Wesley also competed in the men's event.

The Patriots women grabbed a second-place finish, shooting a combined 726 (348-378) over 36 holes. Katie Harris led the Patriots with a 178 (86-92), good enough for fifth-place. Meaghan Howell shot a 181 (87-94), Jennifer King a 182 (86-96), Jordan Woodruff a 185 (89-96) and Lauren Decatur a 202 (92-110) for UT Tyler.

The win is the fifth team victory for the UT Tyler men this season. Both squads are next in action March 28-30, with the men playing in the UT Dallas Spring Classic and the women at the Southwestern Invitational.