MERIDIAN – With three top-20 individual finishers, the East Mississippi Community College men’s golf team placed seventh at this week’s Lou Hart Invitational played at Northwood Country Club. The two-day event hosted by Meridian Community College concluded Tuesday afternoon.

With consistent team scores of 307 and 306, EMCC’s composite 613 total was one shot behind Hinds’ sixth-place score (310-302—612). Top-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast (285-284—569) earned a 17-stroke team victory over host Meridian CC (295-291—586). Third-place East Central (300-297—597) was followed by Jones (297-302—599) and Northeast Mississippi (301-303—604) in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Individually for the Lions, freshman Pelayo Castillo Alonso, from Spain, led the way with a two-day score of 150 to finish in a four-way tie for 14th place. He improved Monday’s opening-round score by four shots with a 2-over-par 73 during Tuesday’s final round.

Fellow EMCC freshman Lawson Burton and reigning All-MACCC performer Lorenzo Ligabue, from Italy, tied for 18th place with 151 totals. Burton followed a 75 with Tuesday’s 76, while Ligabue began with Monday’s 3-over-par 74 and finished with a 77.

EMCC sophomores Trace Carpenter and Brian Ludden finished in a four-way tie for 36th place at 157 with identical scores of 80 and 77 while competing in this week’s tournament as individual participants.

Freshmen Whitt Welch and Bryce Shivers rounded out EMCC’s scorecard for this week by placing 48th (81-80—161) and 63rd (82-86—168), respectively, for the Lions.

Jace Duckworth (70-67—137) of host Meridian CC claimed low medalist honors this week with a one-shot victory over Mississippi Gulf Coast’s Stanley Campbell (71-67—138).

The East Mississippi men’s golf team will next compete at the MACCC Championship, April 7-8, in Corinth. The Northeast Mississippi Community College-hosted tournament will be played at Shiloh Ridge.

EMCC will resume women’s golf competition March 31-April 1 at the Calhoun Community College Women’s Spring Classic. The two-day women’s event will be played at Burningtree Country Club in Decatur, Alabama.