ALPHARETTA, Ga. (March 25, 2008) - Falling 12 strokes off the pace it enjoyed just one day earlier, the 24^th-ranked ETSU men's golf team dropped from a tie for third to a tie for ninth on the team leaderboard during Tuesday's second round action in the U.S. Collegiate Championship at the Golf Club of Georgia.

The Buccaneers, who fired a team score of 6-over 294 on Monday, posted a 306 on Monday, while USC moved to the lead with a team score of 287. The Trojans hold a two-stroke advantage over No. 1-ranked Alabama, which is just one of the teams in an extremely tough field that includes 10 of the Top 11 teams in the country.

For the Bucs, senior and preseason All-American Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) posted the team's top score with a 2-over 74 to move to a tie for 14^th on the individual leaderboard. Shaw is 10 strokes off the pace of leaders Trent Leon of Oklahoma State and Cameron Tringale of Georgia Tech.  

Meanwhile, Shaw's teammate and fellow senior Cian McNamara (Limerick, Ireland) continues with a solid showing, currently tied for 19^th after posting a season-best 71 just one day earlier. In addition, sophomore Seamus Power (Waterford, Ireland) and freshman Rhys Enoch (Cornwall, England) are tied for 41^st.

The Bucs will continue with third and final round play on Wednesday, with Golfstat.com providing live, up-to-the-minute scoring of the event. Following the final round, fans can get a full recap by visiting ETSUBucs.com and clicking on the men's golf link.