KEENE, N.H. – Powered by a sub-par round from All-Conference junior Tommy Ethier (Nashua, N.H./Bishop Guertin HS), the Bentley University golf team had an outstanding second round and finished the season-opening 14-team Franklin Pierce University Fall Invitational in third place Monday.

Bentley turned in a second-round one-under 287 (tied for second lowest in program history) and put up a two-day 307-287-594 at the Keene Country Club. The Falcons trailed team champion St. Thomas Aquinas University (304-284-588) and runner-up Southern New Hampshire (295-296-591).

Day two saw Ethier fire a three-under 69. Freshman Jared Walter (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor HS) followed with a one-under 71 and senior co-captain Robert Falconer (Mechanicsburg, Pa./ Cumberland Valley HS) finished at even par. Bentley also received a 75 from junior co-captain Ellis Yoder (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead HS) and a 76 from freshman Santiago Urrutia Ruiz (Guatemala City, Guatemala).

For the tournament, Ethier (77-69) and Falconer (74-72) both finished in a tie for seventh, each with a two-over 146. Ethier's tournament included six birdies and Falconer had 25 pars.

Walter was next for Bentley with his 78-71-149 in his first collegiate tournament good for a tie for 13th in the 75-player field.

St. Thomas Aquinas' Travis Fay captured individual honors by five strokes with back-to-back 69's.

The next action for coach Mickey Herron's team is the Southern New Hampshire Invitational Sept. 23-24.