Greensboro, N.C. - North Carolina Wesleyan's golf team opened its 2014 fall season on Monday at the Greensboro College Shootout, a two-round event played at the par-72 Bryan Park Golf Course. The Battling Bishops managed a 2nd-place finish as a team, trailing only host Greensboro College in the standings and downing USA South foe Averett by 25 strokes.

Round one of the day was conducted on the Players Course (7,057 yards), where the Bishops carded a team score of 308. Freshman Ben Gillon paced Wesleyan with a 3-over 75 in his first collegiate action.

Wesleyan proceeded to enter afternoon play on the more difficult Champions Course (7,255 yards) trailing Hampden-Sydney College by 11 strokes and clinging to a 3-stroke lead over AU. It was a total team effort to lengthen the team's lead over the Cougars, as well as jump Hampden-Sydney on the leaderboard en route to a runner-up finish. Junior Tommy Nakamura turned in Wesleyan's best round of the tourney with a team-low 74 (+2), while Gillon and fellow rookie David White each carded a 76. 

At 7-over, Gillon managed a 6th-place individual finish among a field of 30 players. Nakamura was just two strokes behind his teammate at 9-over, tying for 7th-place. Stephen Bardswick and Lucas Norman mirrored each other in the stat column with identical rounds of 77 and 78 to finish at +11, while White's 76 followed an opening round 83 to leave him at +15 on the day.

Also competing for the Bishops was sophomore Matthew May, who competed as an individual and carded rounds of 86 and 87. The host Pride secured team honors with a pair of 294 rounds, and medalist honors went to GC's John Grimes with rounds of 73 and 70 (-1).

Next up for the Bishops is this weekend's Tom Kinder Memorial hosted by Bridgewater College. The two-round event will be held at Lakeview Golf Club in Harrisonburg, Va..