EDMOND, Okla.- Sophomore Reino Deetlefs shot an even-par 70 to lead Texas Wesleyan to a first-place finish after the opening round in the Oklahoma Christian Invitational at the Coffee Creek Golf Club Monday afternoon.

     Texas Wesleyan (285) leads tournament host, Oklahoma Christian (288) by three shots, while Southern Nazarene (295) sits in third place and defending national champion Oklahoma City (298) is in fourth.

     Deetlefs' even-par 70 is good enough to place him tied for second place, only one-shot behind tournament-leader Juan Lizarralde of Oklahoma Christian, who fired a one-under 69.

     "Reino could have gone really low today," head coach Kevin Millikan said. "For the most part, he played consistent the entire day. He was solid for the entire round."

     Also competing for the Rams was senior Ryan Craig (71) who is tied for sixth, freshman Justin Smith (72) who is tied for ninth, along with junior Euan McIntosh (72) who is also tied for ninth.

     Smith, who is playing in his first collegiate tournament, opened his round with a six-over, 41 on the front-nine. On the back-nine, Smith fired a four-under, 31 for the lowest nine-hole score of the day.

     "The guys played well today," Millikan said. "We struggled a little bit in the middle of our rounds, but the guys managed the extra time they had, stayed patient and finished strong."

     The Rams were out on the golf course for six and half hours because of the high amount of teams competing. There are 25 teams competing in the two-day tournament.

     The Rams will be back in action for the second and final round Tuesday.