KANSASVILLE, Wis. ­— In a tournament featuring 45 teams and 240 golfers, Knox College senior Gabriel Newman ended the first round of the Midwest Region Classic tied for 35th place with a 2-over 74, leading the Prairie Fire to 24th place at 23-over par. Nebraska Wesleyan shot a combined 4-under par, leading second-place Augustana College by 10 strokes.

Newman began his round on the 6,668-yard, par-72 White Course at Brighton Dale Golf Links by making par on the 392-yard seventh hole, one of seven in his round, all coming on his first 11 holes. His final seven holes were a roller coaster with four of his five birdies in the round along with two bogeys and a double. But he ended on a high note with a birdie on the 545-yard, par-5 fifth.

Senior Pranav Nandakumar also broke into the top 50 with 10 pars and three birdies in his round, carding a 3-over 75 to tie for 49th. Others scoring for the Prairie Fire were senior Saransh Raina with an 8-over 80 and two birdies, along with junior Nathaniel Zug at 10-over par with one birdie.

• First-year Jaxson Forman was the fifth playing for Knox, who was just one stroke behind Zug with an 83.
• Nebraska Wesleyan's Harrison Weddell and Wisconsin Lutheran's Riley Tanzi are tied for individual honors with a 3-under 69.

The tournament concludes on Saturday with Knox teeing off with the afternoon groups in a shotgun start at 1 p.m.