LAREDO — Led by a second straight top-10 finish from Chad Sewell, the UTSA men's golf team finished fifth at the Border Olympics, which wrapped up Tuesday at Laredo Country Club (par 72/7,204 yards).
The Roadrunners entered the final day in a tie for seventh but carded a 2-under-par 286 — the low round of the day — to move up two spots in the team standings and register their second straight top-five finish. UTSA finished with a 7-under 857 (287-284-286) to end up two shots ahead of ULM and seven in front of Houston, while finishing up just three strokes behind No. 45 and fourth-place Campbell in the 16-team field.
Sewell finished in a tie for eighth place at 5-under 211 for his second straight top 10. The sophomore carded a 2-under 70 in the final round on the strength of an eagle on the 582-yard, par-5 first and four birdies to move up seven spots on the individual leaderboard. The Conroe native also posted a 70 in the opening round and had a 71 on Monday afternoon while piling up 37 pars and 11 birdies for the 54-hole event. It marked his second 211 of the spring and his third top 10 of the campaign.
Michael Rome and Christian Fanfelle registered top-20 finishes to help lead the Roadrunners.
Rome tied for 16th at 2-under 214. The sophomore posted his second straight 1-under 71 on the strength of three birdies in the final round after opening with a 72. A product of Austin Westlake High School, he paced UTSA with 38 pars to go along with nine birdies for the event.
Fanfelle posted a 1-under 215 to share 19th place, the top finish of his debut season. The freshman from San Antonio wrote down a team-high 12 birdies during the tournament, including three — all on the front nine — during a final-round 72. After opening with a 73 Monday morning, he turned in a 2-under 70 in the second round to match Sewell for the team's low round of the event.
Collin Clark finished tied for 42nd after recording a 220 and matching Fanfelle with a team-best 12 birdies. After carding a pair of 72s on Monday, he posted a 76 in the final round that included four birdies, three on the back nine.
Sean Meehan rounded out the UTSA lineup in a tie for 77th. After opening with a 75, the senior bounced back from an 81 in the second round with a 73 on Tuesday that featured consecutive birdies on Nos. 14-16.
Competing as an individual, Will Adams tied for 58th with a 224 (73-69-84).
No. 20 Arkansas State won the team title with an 835 behind individual medalist Zan Luka Stirn's 12-under 204,. The Red Wolves were followed by Sam Houston State (850) and UTRGV (853) in the top three.
The Roadrunners will return to action next Monday-Tuesday, March 18-19, at the Lake Charles Invitational.
