Alpharetta, Ga., May 17, 2007 ¨C Junior Harvin Groft, a native of State College, fired an opening round of even-par 72 to lead Penn State on the first day of the NCAA East Regional Golf Tournament at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, Ga.

Penn State stood 10th in the 27-team field after posting a 9-over par 297 on the 7,017-yard Lakeside Course. The Nittany Lions were one of two unseeded teams in the top ten and were ahead of eight seeded teams. The top 10 teams from each of three regionals, plus two individuals not on those teams, will advance to the 2007 NCAA Championships held May 30-June 2 at the Gold Course at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.

Georgia Tech led the team race with an opening round of 4-under par 284. The Yellow Jackets¡¯ Cameron Tringale led the chase for medalist honors posting a 5-under par 67.

Groft stood tied for 15th place after recording 16 pars, a birdie on the par-5, 542-yard first hole and a bogey on the par-3 16th on the day. He shot even-par 36 on both the front and back nines. Junior Robert Rohanna (Waynesburg, Pa.) and freshmen Kevin Foley (Somerville, Pa.) and Jim Markovitz (Bridegeville, Pa.) stood tied for 51st after each fired an opening round of 3-over par 75. Sophomore Chad Bricker (Waynesboro, Pa.) shot a 7-over par 79 to stand in 108th place among the 141-player field.

Rohanna and Markovitz each scored an eagle on the day. Rohanna holed out from the fairway on the par-4, 419-yard 16th hole to shoot a 36 on the back nine. Markovitz eagled the par-5, 542-yard ninth hole to shoot 36 on the front side. Foley scored a pair of birdies on the back nine to record a 36.

The second round of the East Regional begins at 7 a.m. Friday, with the final round scheduled for Saturday. Live online scoring of the tournament can be followed at www.GoPSUsports.com.