With a team score of 290, Williams holds an eight-stroke lead over second-place Trinity following the first day of the 2011 NESCAC Golf Championship Qualifier at Lyman Orchards Golf Club. Five teams are separated by six strokes as Amherst (301) is third, followed by 2010 Qualifier champion Middlebury (303). Hamilton and Colby are tied for fifth with 304 scores. Both teams have a 17-stroke lead over seventh-place Bates.

William Prince led the Panthers on day one with a 74, followed closely by Robbie Donahoe (75) and Charlie Garcia (76). Max Alley was next for Middlebury with a 78, followed by Chris Atwood, who shot an 80.

Tufts, Bowdoin and Wesleyan begin the second round of action on Sunday, teeing off at 11:09 a.m. Hamilton, Colby and Bates will tee off at 12:09 p.m., and Williams, Trinity, Amherst and Middlebury are scheduled for a 12:50 p.m. tee time. The top four teams will advance to the NESCAC Championship in the spring.