Middlebury's Fitz Bowen fired a round of 72 to sit atop the leaderboard and pace the Panthers, who are in first place after the first day of the NESCAC Golf Championship Qualifier hosted by Hamilton at the Skenandoa Golf Club.

Defending NESCAC champion Middlebury finished with a team score of 297, which was four strokes ahead of host Hamilton. Trinity is in third following a team score of 302 and Williams ranks fourth after posting a 305.

The team winner following tomorrow's results will host the 2015 NESCAC Golf Championship on April 26-27, and the top four finishers will qualify for the championship.

Middlebury's Eric Laorr is tied for third place with a 74, followed by a 75 from John Louie, which left him in a seventh-place tie. Chris Atwood and Charlie Garcia each shot a 76 to tie for ninth place.

The Panthers return to the course on Sunday at 11:50 a.m. for round two.