NORTH EAST, Pa. – With senior co-captain Tommy Ethier (Nashua, N.H./Bishop Guertin HS) leading the way, the Bentley University Falcons finished day one of the NCAA Division II East/Atlantic Regional tied for seventh among 16 teams. The 54-hoile tournament at the Lake View Country Club will run through Saturday.

Bentley turned in a 312, third best among East Region squads. The Falcons are seven strokes out of the top four, the number of teams who will advance to the NCAA Championships, and 16 strokes back of first-place Saint Thomas Aquinas College.

Joining STAC (296) in the top four were Gannon University (297), Davis & Elkins College (298) and Franklin Pierce University (305).

Ethier finished the opening round in an eight-way tie for eighth place after carding a two-pver 74. He's two strokes back of Davis & Elkins' Sean Addie, the only player in the field to shoot even-par.

Ethier, who birded the sixth, 13th and 17th holes, bogeyed three of the final five holes after his bird on 13 put him even on the day.

Bentley's number two finisher was sophomore Jared Walter (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor HS). He parred 14 of the 18 holes en route to a 77 and is tied for 26th.

Graduate student Ellis Yoder (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead HS) finished with an 80, good for a tie for 48th.

On Tuesday, Bentley will tee off between 9 and 9:40 am.