Altoona, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford golf team began their first multiple-round tournament of the season on Sunday, teeing off at the Sinking Valley Collegiate Classic, hosted by Penn State-Altoona.

Through 18 holes, the Panthers are in 9th place with a team score of 317. They are 

18 strokes behind the leaders, Franklin & Marshall, but are in a group of seven teams that shot between 305 and 320.

The Panthers were led by Evan Steffen, who shot a 6-over 76. He is tied for 15th. One stroke behind him is Michael Peterson, who is tied for 22nd at 77. Peterson's round included an eagle 2 on the Par 4 13th hole. Max Bizzak finished the round at 79 and is tied for 38th. Brady Susi rounded out the scoring with an 85, while Nathan Close missed out on a scoring position with an 87.

Round 2 will begin tomorrow at 9:00 am.