NCAA Team Standings Are Volatile, But Vilips Is Low Individual by 5; Warian Now T7

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Georgia Tech sophomore Hiroshi Tai shot a 5-under-par 67 at the Omni La Costa North Course on Friday, and that was good enough to give him the lead after the first round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Division I Championships. But there were 11 players within four strokes of him.

On Saturday, Stanford All-American Karl Vilips added a 68 to the 69 he shot the day before. The resulting 36-hole total of 137 has him in first place, and there's no one within five strokes of him. Tai could do no better than a 77, but he's still in the top 10 -- tied for seventh, actually -- with a 144.

A few individuals and teams stayed pretty much where they started the day Saturday, but there were also a lot of big moves. Virginia was tied with Arizona for the lead in the team standings after the first day, and the Cavaliers took over sole possession of the lead with a second-round of 287 (1 under). They are three ahead of second-place Illinois, which saw its eight-year reign as Big Ten team champion end this years, but the Illini are having a good post-season. They matched Virginia's 287 Saturday and moved up from a tie for fifth.

Also moving up significantly was Vanderbilt, which had the low total of the day, 286, and climbed from a tie for 12th all the way up into sole possession of third, three behind Illinois at 583.

As for Arizona, the Wildcats fell all the way from that two-way tie for first into a three-way tie for sixth, after putting together a 298.

Ohio State was a rock of stability, starting the round in seventh and ending it in a three-way tie for sixth, along with Arizona and Florida State, which moved up from a tie for 17th. Ohio State's Adam Wallin was six strokes higher on Saturday than he was on Friday (68 to 74), but he didn't really move in the standings. He went from solo second to tied for second at 142, along with Virginia's George Duangmanee, who shot 71 for the second day in a row. That improved his position in the standings six places from a tie for eighth.

Actually, the real rock of stability on Saturday was Ben Warian, the Minnesota senior from Stillwater, by way of Hill-Murray. Not only did he shoot 72 for the second straight day, he did it by making 16 pars, one birdie (his eighth hole, No. 17, a 491-yard par 4) and one bogey (No. 18, a 605-yard par 5). That bumped him up from a tie for 13th into a massive, eight-way tie for seventh.

At the conclusion of Sunday's third round, there will be a cut. Fifteen out of the 30 teams in the field will advance to Monday's final stroke-play round, and the top nine individuals not on teams that make the cut will also get tee times for Monday. The individual champion will be crowned after Monday's round, and the top eight teams will qualify for match play, which will begin Tuesday.


NCAA Men's Division I Championships

At Omni La Costa North Course

Par 72, 7,538 yards

Carlsbad, Calif.

Second-round results (at the end of 54 holes, the top 15 teams will advance, and so will the top nine individuals not on advancing teams

1. Virginia 290-287--577

2. Illinois 293-287--580

3. Vanderbilt 297-286--583

4. Auburn 293-293--586

5. North Carolina 291-296--587

T6. Ohio State 294-294--588

T6. Arizona 290-298--588

T6. Florida State 299-289--588

T9. Georgia Tech 292-301--593

T9. E. Tennessee St. 296-297--593

11. Baylor 297-299--596

T12. Florida 295-302--597

T12. Texas 296-301--597

T12. Florida 295-302--597

15. Stanford 297-301--598

16. California 304-296--600

17. Notre Dame 296-305--601

18. Wake Forest 298-304--602

22. New Mexico 299-306-605

Individuals

1. Karl Vilips, Stanford 69-68--137

T2. Adam Wallin, Ohio State 68-74--142

T2. George Dujangmanee, Va. 71-71--142

T4. Max Herendeen, Illinois 73-70--143

T4. Jase Summy, Oklahoma 72-71--143

T4. Jackson Koivun, Auburn 71-72--143

T7. Ben Warian, Minnesota 72-72--144

T7. Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt 75-69--144

T7. Johnny Keefer, Baylor 70-74--144

T7. Ben James, Virginia 73-71--144

T7. Jackson Van Paris, Vanderbilt 73-71--144

T7. Hiroshi Tai, Georgia Tech 67-77--144

T7. Mats Ege, E. Tennessee State 71-73--144

T7. Josh Duangmanee, Virginia 72-72--144

T140. Nate Stevens, Notre Dame 78-82--160

T144. Carson Herron, N. Mexico 86-75--161