MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Paced by sophomore transfer Philipp Matlari and junior Max Sear, the West Virginia University men's golf team sits in first place through two rounds of play at the Janney Invitational, hosted by VCU at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday.
 
The team posted a record-low of 275 in the second round for a record thirteen under. The Mountaineers sit three strokes ahead of second-place Charlotte with a 36-hole score of 286-275=561 for 15 under par. Charlotte is in second at 12 under par (564) followed by Maryland, Virginia Tech and Coastal Carolina in a tie for third at six under par (570).
 
"It was a good day out there for the boys, especially the second round," coach Sean Covich said. "I'm proud of the guys. They stuck with the game plan, stayed patient and put together a really good day. I'm looking forward to the final round tomorrow."
 
Matlari and Sear finished the day inside the top-10 for the Mountaineers. Matlari carded 12 birdies across 36 holes, shooting 70-68=138. He ends the day at six under par and in sixth place. After shooting one over in the first round with a 73, Sear rebounded to record six birdies on his way to a 66 for six under par in the second round, matching his program-record low round from last year's event. He sits in a tie for seventh place at five under with a two-round total of 139.
 
Junior Tristan Nicholls finished the day tied for 15th at two under par with a score of 142. Nicholls birdied four holes with a 69 in the first round for three under par. He followed up with 73 in the second round, finishing one over par in the round.
 
Freshman Matthew Sharpstene is inside the top-25 in his collegiate debut. Sharpstene shot two over par in his first round, carding a 74. He shaved four strokes off in his second round, shooting a 70 for two under par. He ends the day even par with a 36-hole total of 144.
 
Sophomore Etienne Papineau is a stroke back from Sharpstene and tied for 27th at one over par. He birdied the fourth hole to shoot two over par with a 74 in the first round before adding two more in the second to card a 71 at one under par. Papineau ended the day with a two-round score of 74-71=145.
 
Playing as an individual, freshman Mark Goetz also made his collegiate debut. He used a pair of birdies to shoot 75 for three over par in the first round before adding three more in the second to finish even par with a 72. He is currently tied for 39th at three over par with a 36-hole tally of 75-72=147.
 
The Mountaineers are paird with Charotte and Maryland for Tuesday's final round. Teams will tee off for the final 18 holes in an 8:45 a.m. shotgun start.