March 8, 2005

BEAUMONT, Calif. - Marty Melcher shot a 5-under par 211, and Greg Wells shot a 4-under par 212, to lead UC Santa Barbara to a third-place finish at UC Riverside's Braveheart Classic on Tuesday.

Melcher shot a season-best 68 in the first round, and after a second round score of 74, he came back with a 3-under par 69 to finish with a career-best 211. Wells, UCSB's top player in the early season, shot a 212. He shot a 2-under par 70 in the first round, a 4-under par second round, and a 2-over par third round to finish at 212 and alone in eighth-place, his top finish of the year.

Joe Ryon, who recorded a two-over par 218, finished in a tie for 18th-place, giving UCSB three finishers in the top-20 for the first time this season.

Nick Telliard finished in a tie for 58th with a 228, and Ryan Keefe hit a 234 to finish in a tie for 81st-place, helping the Gauchos to a team-finish of third.

Fellow-Big West opponent UC Riverside won its own tournament by shooting an 850, eight shots ahead of Cal Poly, which shot an 858, and 19 shots ahead of the Gauchos, who shot 869.

UCLA finished one spot behind UCSB with an 873.