ELK GROVE, Calif. – Freshman Ethan Barnes finished his first collegiate tournament with an even-par 216 to tie for 16th-place, helping UC Santa Barbara to a 10th-place team finish at the Sacramento State Invitational on Wednesday at the Valley Hi Country Club.
The Gauchos, who shot a 15-over par 879 to tie with Cal State Northridge for 10th, played with four freshmen and one junior in their lineup.
Barnes shot a 2-over 74 in the final round. He also tied for the tournament lead with 15 birdies.
Freshman Andrew Ricci, who struggled to a 9-over par 81 in Monday's first round, finished out the tournament with back-to-back 3-under 69s, to finish tied for 30th with a 3-over par 219.
Blake McGovern, another freshman, completed his three rounds with an 8-over 224, tying for 54th-place. The "veteran" on the UCSB roster, Jacob Montes, a junior transfer from Palomar College, was one shot back of McGovern with a 9-over par 225, tying for 60th. The final finisher was another freshman, John Bush, who carded a 10-over 226 to tie for 63rd.
The team competition was a two-team race between Loyola Marymount and Long Beach State, which entered the day with a six-shot lead. LMU, however, shot a final round 275, eight shots better than Long Beach, to finish with a 24-under par 840 and a two-shot victory. Pacific was the only other team in under-par territory with a 2-under par 862, 20 shots out of second and 22 out of first.
LMU's Riley Lewis won medalist honors with an 11-under 206, including an 8-under 64 in the final round. He finished one shot better than LBSU's Clay Seeber, and two better than his teammate Gavin Cohen and Long Beach's Hunter Epson.
The Gauchos will be off until returning to action on Monday-Tuesday, Mar. 22-23 at the SoCal Intercollegiate hosted by UC San Diego at the La Costa GC in Carlsbad, Calif.
