GOODYEAR, Ariz. – James Rico and Matt Malits posted Loyola University Maryland's best rounds of the 2023 Loyola Intercollegiate on Monday, both shooting 4-under 68 at Palm Valley Golf Club to help the Greyhounds finish fifth out of 19 teams in the Valley of the Sun.
 
Rico had a bogey-free round of 4-under, while Malits put together four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to get to 68.
 
Malits led the Greyhounds individually at the tournament, playing his final two rounds at 7-under to finish the three-day event tied for 11^th at 5-under.
 
As a team, Loyola had its best day of the 2022-2023 season with an 11-under 277, 11 shots better than its previous best of 288 which it combined for yesterday. Overall, the Greyhounds were 10-under 854 for the 54 holes, two shots back of Marshall in fourth place. Utah Valley won the team race at 21-under, a shot in front of Marquette.
 
He started Tuesday's final 18 with five-straight pars before a bogey on the par-5 11^th hole set him back a stroke. He immediately made that up with a birdie on the 195-yard, par-3 12^th, and he recorded his second eagle of the tournament on the par-5 14^th to move to 3-under.
 
The graduate student, who was making his 2022-2023 debut at the tournament, slipped back a stroke with a bogey on the 16^th, but that was his last miscue of the round. He finished birdie-birdie-par-birdie on his last four holes to match his collegiate-best score of 68.
 
Rico had his best round of the tournament with only red numbers on his card throughout the course. Birdies at nine and 11 got him to 2-under for the day, and he then posted back-to-back birdies at one and two before logging four pars in a row.
 
His 68 is his best round as a collegian.
 
Mike Crowley finished a stroke back of Malits at 4-under for the tournament in a tie for 13^th. Crowley came back from a double bogey on the ninth hole to birdie four of the back nine's first five holes. He also had two birdies on the front side and finished his day at 2-under 70.
 
Connor McGarrity also had his best round of the tournament with a 1-under 71 to match his best round of the season. He finished the tournament tied for 55^th at 4-over.
 
Carlo Pizzano tied for 51^st overall after shooting 4-over in the final round. Gustavo Rangel made his collegiate debut at the tournament as an individual and had matching 2-over 74s in his last two rounds to finish tied for 84^th at 7-over.
 
Loyola will take nearly two weeks off before resuming tournament play at the Mid-Pines Intercollegiate at Mid-Pines Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, March 13-14.