GORHAM, ME – Rhode Island College freshman Ryan Butler (Windham, N.H.) closed out the first 18 holes of the 2011 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Golf Championship as the individual leader with a three-under-par 68 score at the Gorham Country Club on Saturday.

Butler holds a six-stroke lead over his teammate, first-year Patrick Ford (Halifax, Mass.), heading into the final day of the two-day event. Freshman A.J. Simokaitis (Falmouth, Maine) and senior Brett Kapteina (Stamford, Conn.), both from the University of Southern Maine, sit in a tie for third with 75 cards while USM junior Josh Hogan (Falmouth, Maine) and UMass.-Dartmouth senior Matt Connolly (Lynnfield, Mass.) go into the second day tied for fifth with 76 scores.

With the top two individuals and three in the top ten overall, Rhode Island College sits atop the team standings with a 300 score through 18 holes. The Anchormen begin the second day with a slim six-stroke lead over USM while UMass.-Dartmouth - the reigning GNAC Champion - ranks third with a 311 team card.

Anna Maria College (313), Johnson & Wales University (317), Saint Joseph's College (320), Emmanuel College (341) and Suffolk University (343) round out the group of participating institutions.

Half of the 40 individuals participating in the annual event recorded scores in the 70's.

For the Monks, Ebb Walton '12 (Blue Hill, Maine) is currently tied for ninth with a 78, Steve Simonds '15 (Steep Falls, Maine) carded a 79, Kevin Richardson '14 (Coventry, Conn.) recorded an 80, and juniors Jake Brown (Lewiston, Maine) and Jeff Hilton (Limington, Maine) chipped in with 83 scores.

Play resumes at the par-71, 6,555-yard Gorham Country Club course on Sunday morning at 10:00 AM. The winning team earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Championship, which is played late next spring.