RICHMOND, Va. (Oct. 24, 2022) – Virginia Union owns the first round lead at the inaugural River City Collegiate Classic presented by Truist, posting a team score of 316 on a challenging afternoon at the Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course.
Playing the same yardages and layout as the PGA TOUR Champions did during Sunday’s Dominion Energy Charity Classic, VUU’s Alkin Barkley got out to hot start, birdieing four of his first six holes before settling for an even-par round of 72 on the 7,025-yard layout.
Barkley reeled off three straight birdies on holes 2-4, including the 183-yard par 3 4th hole. The graduate student made the turn in 2-under 34 before two bogeys on the backside brought him home at even par.
After the first round, Barkley stands two shots clear of Johnson C. Smith University’s Isaiah Nickerson, who birdied two of his last four holes to come in at 2-over 74. Nickerson collected his second birdie of the day on the short par-4 15th hole before another birdie on the par-5 16th.
Barkley (72) and Hayden Garcia (76) helped Virginia Union build a two-shot edge on the team leaderboard, where the Panthers are immediately followed by Livingstone College. The Blue Bears were led by Xavier Proctor (78) and Colline Ajidra (79), both of whom were among the seven student-athletes in the field to break 80 on the James River Course.
Behind Nickerson (74) and teammate Dylan Mauricette (79), Johnson C. Smith sits third, posting a team score of 325, trailing Virginia Union by nine strokes.
Virginia State (333) was led by Juan Ruiz Patino, who posted a 4-over 76 to sit tied with VUU’s Garcia for third on the individual leaderboard.
Winston-Salem State (345) is fifth, followed by Elizabeth City State (409) and St. Augustine’s (416).
All seven programs represent historically black colleges and universities from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).
The second and final round of River City Collegiate Classic presented by Truist will start at 8:30 a.m., playing holes 1-12 of the championship course. Holes 1-6 will be replayed to create a 6,865-yard 18-hole layout.