MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - A trio of FGCU men's golfers stand in championship contention after the opening two rounds on Thursday at the Golfweek Miami Amateur at the Miami Shores Country Club.

Sophomore Jon Hopkins (Bishop's Stortford, England/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) and freshman Thomas Salanito (Palm Harbor, Fla/Clearwater Central Catholic) finished the first two rounds tied for second, while junior Henry Tshopp (Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland/Dodge City CC) stood tied for sixth after 36 holes. Fellow Eagle newcomer Austin Cherichella (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona HS) stands tied for 24th heading into Friday's final round.

Hopkins and Salanito each shot scores of 69 in the first round while carding 70 in the second round to finish three-under par. Tschopp shot 68 to start the day, the second lowest score recorded on Thursday, and carded a one-over 72 in the afternoon's round.

Salanito led the field with 12 birdies followed by Hopkins who had 11. Tshopp tallied 10 birdies and had one of four Eagles posted in the first two rounds. In the first round Hopkins used six birdies to help overcome a triple-bogey on the ninth hole as he finished two-under par. Salanito had seven birdies in the first round and shot par-or-better on 14 holes in the second round.

Tschopp's birdie came on the the par five, 502 yard ninth hole in the first round. Combined with six birdies in the round, he opened the tournament with the second lowest round score of the field.

Logan Bryant leads the pack of 36 golfers at five-under on the par 71 course (6,612 yards).

After two rounds, four players stand tied for second with Nick Montes and A.J. Ewart also finishing three under alongside Hopkins and Salanito.

Friday's final round will start at 7:48 AM. For FGCU, Tshopp will tee off at 8:15 while Hopkins and Salanito will be just behind. Cherichella will start on the 10th hole beginning at 7:48 AM.

Live scoring will be available at http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=player&tid=21471.

For complete coverage of the FGCU men's golf team, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram at @FGCU_MGOLF and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com.  You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's golf and other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

HEAD COACH ANDREW DANNA:
Danna will enter his second year at the helm of the men's golf program this fall. He served the previous season as the assistant at LSU. Prior to that he was the ultra-successful head coach for six years at Lynn University where he led them to the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship and was, subsequently, chosen the David Williams National Coach of the Year. He also led the Fighting Knights to three national runner-up placements, with a third and eighth place finish in his other two seasons.
 
SUSTAINING FLIGHT CAMPAIGN
To help offset the financial impact of COVID-19, FGCU Athletics has launched the Sustaining Flight Fundraiser and Auction. The fundraising campaign will help mitigate operational revenue loss and the additional expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19 protocols. All funds raised during the campaign will go to support areas that directly impact student-athletes.
 
In lieu of hosting the annual Night at the Nest gala this year, one of FGCU's most successful fundraising events, the department will be hosting a virtual, online auction from Monday, Nov. 30 through Friday, Dec. 4. Fans and supporters will be able to bid on exclusive memorabilia, trip packages, unique event experiences and more. For more information, visit www.fgcuathletics.com/sustainingflight. 
 
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IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
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FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships, including three men's golfers. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (#24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. In 2019-20, they ran their streak to three consecutive years leading both groups with the highest percentage of teams again receiving such high distinction (33% via 5 of 15 programs). FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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