PEARLAND, Texas – Caleb Hicks and Camilo Avila both shot even par through the first two rounds of the Bayou City Collegiate Classic on Monday from Golfcrest Country Club to lead the UT Arlington men's golf team entering Tuesday's final round.
 
Freshman Hicks recorded consecutive 72s for his fifth and sixth par-or-better rounds of the season, while senior Avila continued his hot play by bouncing back from a 1-over 73 in the 1st round to record a 1-under 71 in the 2nd round – his third sub-par round in the last four opportunities.
 
They led UTA to sole possession of 6th place with rounds of 289 (+1) and 295 (+7) for a 584 total, just three shots out of 2nd place in the tightly-compact leaderboard. Sam Houston State leads the 14-team field with a 569 (-7) total, but George Washington (581) is in 2nd place, followed by UTSA (582) in 3rd and Abilene Christian and Arkansas State (583) tied for 4th as the Mavs are in a great position to quickly move up the leaderboard in the final round.
 
Hicks and Avila are both tied for 15th place in the field of 82 with their 144 totals. Tanner Gore and Kyle Cox both signed for opening-round 72s as well, but shot 76 and 77, respectively, in their 2nd rounds to sit at 148 (+4) and 149 (+5) after 36 holes. Paul Gonzalez rounded out the UTA scoring for the day with rounds of 76 for a 152 (+8) total.
 
UTA made 117 pars over the two rounds – tied for the 4th-most in the field – in addition to 24 birdies and an eagle. That eagle was courtesy of Avila on the par-5 1st hole (his 11th) in the 1st round.
 
Avila took advantage of the par 5s on the day, collectively playing them at 5-under par – tied for the 2nd-best in the field and one off the pace. Cox, meanwhile, led UTA in birdies through the first 36 holes with eight.
 
Hosted by Houston, Rice and Sam Houston State, Bayou City Collegiate Classic action is set to conclude with the final round on Tuesday morning. Live scoring and pairings will be available via BirdieFire by clicking here or visiting the link accompanying this release. Additionally, updates will be posted on the official Twitter account of the program @UTAMavsGolf.
 
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