LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – Freshman James Swash and red-shirt senior Ryan Alford each shot in the red leading Louisiana Tech in the first round of the Louisville Cardinal Challenge at the University of Louisville Golf Club Friday.

Swash shot a three-under-par 68, recording five birdies and two bogeys in his first collegiate round while Alford shot a 69 with four birdies and two bogeys. Swash sits in a tie for 13^th place while Alford sits in a tie for 16^th place.

As a team, LA Tech is tied for 13^th out of 16 in a highly-competitive field that includes six Top 50 ranked teams. The Bulldogs trail 27^th ranked Kentucky by one stroke and 20^th ranked North Carolina by three strokes through the first 18 holes of the tournament.

"I am proud of the way Ryan and James played," said head coach Matt Terry. "I think as a team, it was great to get this first round under our belts. I expect some of the other guys to come out the rest of the weekend and score a little better. I think a couple of them had too much adrenaline today and probably tried too hard. I think tomorrow you will see a more even-keel group."

No. 17 ranked Duke leads the event with a team total of 27-under-par 257 followed by Wake Forest (268), Louisville (268), South Florida (277) and WKU (277). Tech (287) is tied with Charlotte and leads East Tennessee State (290) and UL-Lafayette (292).

Juniors Tudd Tilson (75, +4) and Karsten Green (75, +4) are tied for 76^th place while junior Trey Poteet (80, +9) is in 89^th place. As a team, the Bulldogs recorded 17 birdies on the day.

Duke's Alex Smalley leads the field of 92 competitors after shooting an opening round 10-under-par 61.

The tournament will continue Saturday morning with the second round. Fans can follow all of the action through Golfstat.com.