BRADFORD, Pa. - The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's golf team opened its season with a 9th place finish at the Pitt-Bradford Invitational, Saturday afternoon at Pine Acres Country Club.

Brett Gardner fired a 78, finishing seventh overall to lead the Panthers. Tom Morlock followed with an 83 while Zach Spicer carded an 87. John Bedford and Aaron Van Sickles finished with a 95 and 97, respectively, to round out the Panthers' lineup.

"I am very pleased with Brett's performance today," said Panthers head coach, Keith Stauffer. "That should give him a tremendous amount of confidence moving forward."

Thiel College finished first, finishing with a 307 overall. Jeff Jenkins won the individual title, posting an even-par 72. Jenkins topped Penn State Altoona's Jared Wood in a one hole playoff to earn the title. 

"Hats off to Thiel. They played great," Stauffer said. "This tournament gives us a barometer of where we stand in the conference, and right now we are near the bottom. Our guys will only get better as the season goes on and I expect us to be ready next time we take the course."

The Panthers return to action Sept. 2 at Penn State Behrend.