HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Ohio men’s golf team continues its spring season with the 36th Annual Marshall Invitational on Friday. The two-day, 15-team tournament will be held at the 6,446-yard, par-71 course at the Guyan Golf and Country Club.

The Bobcats will feature five golfers averaging under 76 strokes per round this year. Ryan Siekmann, a sophomore from Dublin, leads the squad with a 74.00 average while sophomore Mark Cimarolli (Pittsburgh) is right behind with a 74.08 average. Sophomore Blake Russell (Dublin) is also under 75 with 74.71 average.

Ohio juniors Jon Johasky (Lower Burrell, Pa.) and Brian Elsea (Columbus) round out head coach Bob Cooley’s lineup. Johasky owns a 75.00 average, including a team best 74.33 so far this spring. Elsea, meanwhile, posted the team’s best performance in the fall with a 73.25 average and holds a 75.27 mark for the entire year.

“I expect to see some good scores,” said Cooley. “The course is in good shape and we’ve played it before.”

Every golfer will play 36 holes on Friday with a shotgun start beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday’s final round will begin at 8 a.m. on the #1 and #10 tees. The low four scores from each team’s five golfers will determine a team’s score for each round.

Other teams competing in the tournament include Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Louisville, Marquette, Marshall, Miami, Northern Illinois, Ohio State, University of Charleston, Wright State and Xavier. The Buckeyes won last year’s event while the Bobcats placed ninth out of 14 teams.

“The competition will be good,” added Cooley. “Up until the last few days, the weather has been bad so that hurt us a little. We’re getting better but everybody else is, too.”

Daily results will be posted here on ohiobobcats.com as soon as they are available.