St. Simons Island, Ga. – Junior Tumi Kúld carded a second-round score of 2-over par 73 to sit amidst a three-way for seventh-place, leading Western Carolina into the runner-up spot with 18 holes remaining at the Sea Palms Invitational at the par-71, 6,608-yard Sea Palms Resort. The third-year striker is joined in the top 10 by sophomore Pierre Viallaneix in a two-way tie for 10th at even-par, 142.
 
With a two-day score of 576, WCU is just one stroke in arrears of 36-hole leader Jacksonville State (575) entering Saturday's final round. Mountain-rival Appalachian State, Southern Conference foe Chattanooga, and Kennesaw State, which former Catamount head coach Bryant Odom leads, comprise a three-way tie for third place in the team standings three strokes off the pace at 578 just two strokes back of WCU.
 
Kúld posted 14 pars on Friday in a consistent round, countering three bogeys – two on the front nine – with a birdie on the par-3 17th to shoot 2-over par, 73. Kúld has six birdies over the first two days, five coming in Thursday's opening round. Viallaneix had a much busier second round, posting three birdies against four bogeys and a double-bogey on the par-4 11th to shoot 3-over par, 74, to slip to even-par for the event.
 
Junior Louis Theys slipped into a tie for 30th overall on Friday while freshman teammate Presten Richardson climbed 22 spots into that same gridlock at 6-over par, 148. Theys posted a second-round score of 7-over par 78 that included a pair of birdies, while Richardson shot 2-over par 73, countering seven bogeys with five birdies to give him seven through 36 holes. The Catamount scoring five is rounded out by sophomore Magnus Pedersen, who slid into a tie for 47th with a two-day total of 9-over par, 151.
 
Playing unattached as individuals, WCU sophomore Quinton Metz is 77th overall with a two-round score of 160 (76-84), while senior Zach Caudill slipped into a tie for 83rd (166) and classmate Michael Coe is 87th (171.)
 
Georgia State's Josh Edgar backed-up his first-round 5-under par, 66, with a 2-under par, 69, on Friday to sit in the clubhouse with a three-stroke lead on the individual leader board with a two-day score of 135. Austin Schoonmaker of Wright State is in second, three strokes back at 4-under par 138 (67-71).
 
WCU's scoring five opens on the front nine, beginning at 9:15 a.m., followed by leader Jacksonville State at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. The trio of Catamount individuals open at 9:30 a.m. on the back nine. Live scoring of the final 18 holes is available online through GolfStat with a link at CatamountSports.com.
 
 
2 – Western Carolina – 278-298 = 576 (+8)
T7 – Tumi Kúld – 68-73 = 141 (-1)
T10 – Pierre Viallaneix – 68-74 = 142 (E)
T30 – Louis Theys – 70-78 = 148 (+6)
T30 – Presten Richardson – 75-73 = 148 (+6)
T47 – Magnus Pedersen – 72-79 = 151 (+9)
77 – Quinton Metz – 76-84 = 160 (+18)
T83 – Zach Caudill – 83-83 = 166 (+24)
87 – Michael Coe – 77-94 = 171 (+29)