A pair of Valparaiso University men’s golf team members cracked the top 10 in a competitive, 120-player field as the Beacons teed off the GCU Invitational on Monday at the par-71, 7148-yard GCU Championship Course in Phoenix, Ariz. The 23 competing teams completed the first round and were nearing the end of Round 2 when play was halted due to darkness.

How It Happened

• Freshman Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) had a strong opening-round showing, pacing the team with a 69 (-2) that put him in a tie for 10^th through 18 holes. Delisanti remained tied for 10^th during Round 2 at the point where play was paused for the day as he enters the final day of competition at three strokes under par.
• After a slow start to the day, Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) climbed the player leaderboard and finished Monday tied for 10^th in the field, sharing the team lead with Delisanti. VanArragon was tied for 27^th after one round with a 71 (E) but jumped to t-10 by going three strokes under in the portion of Round 2 that was completed.
• Third on the squad was Yianni Kostouros (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point [Ball State]), who finished the day at +7, while Garrett Willis (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead) followed at +9.
• As a team, Valpo enters the final day tied for 15^th of 23 in a strong field with a team score of +10, one stroke ahead of Drake, the only other Missouri Valley Conference squad participating. The Beacons closed the first round with a 290.

Inside the Round

• Delisanti’s 69 marked the best round of his collegiate career to date.
• Valpo had 100 holes of even par throughout the day to go along with 24 birdies.
• VanArragon had a team-high eight birdies, followed by Delisanti with seven.
• VanArragon averaged 4.40 on par-5 holes to lead the team, while Delisanti and VanArragon both hold 3.90 averages on Par 4s.

Up Next

The teams will complete the second round beginning at 7:15 a.m. Pacific Time / 9:15 a.m. Central on Tuesday morning and will begin Round 3 immediately following the conclusion of Round 2. A link to live scoring via GolfStat is available on ValpoAthletics.com.