DuPONT, Wash. (May 6, 2021) – Oklahoma Christian certainly didn't have the start it hoped for on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Central-West Super Regional tournament.

The Eagles were in the top three in the 16-team field early in their round, but faded late in the round and dropped into 11th place with a team score of 296 at The Home Course. Only one OC player, freshman Mateo Pulcini of Rio Cuarto, Argentina, didn't shoot an over-par score, finishing with an even-par 72.

That's the bad news. The good news is that the rest of the field didn't exactly run away and hide from the Eagles. OC was 12 shots back of the leader, Montana State-Billings, and 11 behind tournament host and second-place St. Martin's (Wash.), which both had early tee times and thus better weather in which to play.

The top four teams in the 54-hole Super Regional will advance to the NCAA Division II Championship later this month, and OC trailed third-place Western New Mexico by only six shots and was only five shots out of fourth place, shared by Western Washington and Sonoma State (Calif.).

A lot of that gap could be attributed to the fact the Eagles played the final two holes – each a par-4 – in a combined 7-over-par, combining for a bogey and a double bogey on No. 17 and four bogeys on No. 18.

Pulcini was OC's most steady player Thursday, finishing with three birdies and three bogeys on the 7,026-yard course. He was tied for 16th in the 86-man field, just four shots behind the leader, Garrett Woodin of Montana State-Billings.

Senior Trevor Norby of Carlsbad, Calif., shot a 74 and was tied for 37th. Junior Alex Motes of Sulphur Springs, Texas (who had four birdies on the back nine) and sophomore Alejandro Armijo of Rio Rancho, N.M., each posted a 75 and were tied for 49th. Junior Andres Brictson of Merida, Mexico, was tied for 80th after a 79.