GOODYEAR, Ariz. – The Blue Raiders carded a final round 12-under-par 276 on Tuesday to finish tied for second at the Loyola Intercollegiate at Palm Valley Golf Club. Redshirt junior Markus Varjun led Middle Tennessee in the individual standings with a 12-under-par 204 to finish tied for second.

Richmond earned the team title with a 54-hole total of 29-under-par 835, while MTSU, Boise State and host institution Loyola (Md.) finished tied for second at 19-under-par 845. UT Martin rounded out the top five at 15-under-par 849.

Boise State's Cole Rueck claimed individual medalist honors with a 54-hole score of 16-under-par 20, while Varjun, Richmond's Cole Ekert and Marshall's Ryan Bilby finished tied for second at 12-under-par 204. Grand Canyon's Joshua McCabe rounded out the top five at 10-under-par 206.

The Blue Raiders will return to action when they compete in the 40th Louisiana Classics at Oakbourne Country Club on Mar. 10-11 (Monday-Tuesday) in Lafayette, La.

The Lineup
• Redshirt junior Markus Varjun paced the Blue Raiders with a career-low final round of 5-under-par 67. He finished with a 54-hole total of 12-under-par 204. He finished the tournament with 17 birdies and an eagle.

• Redshirt junior Carter Maneth fired a final round of 2-under-par 70. He finished tied for 13th with a 54-hole total of 5-under-par 211 – a career-best finish. He totaled 12 birdies and an eagle on the tournament.

• Freshman Thad Whitfield also posted a final round of 2-under-par 70 to finish tied for 28th at 2-under-par 215. He logged 13 birdies on the week.

• Junior Luke Perkins fired a career-low 3-under-par 69 in the final round after beginning the day with a trio of bogeys. He finished tied for 41st at 1-over-par at 217. He carded 12 birdies and an eagle on the tournament.

• Senior JJ Zimmer carded a final round of 1-over-par 73 to finish tied for 55th at 2-over-par 219. He finished the tournament with nine birdies.

• Competing as an individual, freshman Charlie Bell fired a 3-over-par 75. He finished tied for 69th at 6-over-par 222 and totaled 13 birdies on the week.

Coach's Comments: Mark McEntire
"I am really proud of our team's round today," said Head Coach Mark McEntire. "Markus played amazing this week. He is playing really well right now and I am excited to see him play the rest of the semester. Markus has the capability to do some special things."

"I was very impressed with Luke's round after beginning the day with three bogies. I am very happy for him. This was also a great tournament for Carter. He played very solid this week and I hope this gives him some confidence for the rest of the Spring."

"Overall, this was a great start to the Spring. Now, we need to keep the pedal down moving forward."