IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Coe College men's golf team sits in sixth place after the opening weekend of the Iowa Conference Golf Championships.  The Kohawks are just four strokes off of Buena Vista for fifth place.Sophomore Brad Downen (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) leads the way for the Kohawks with an eight-over 152.  After shooting a 79 on Friday, Downen responded with the second best round of the day by any participate with a 73.  He is currently in fifth place at the break.

Junior Rob Copeland (Davenport, Iowa/Assumption) is tied for 13th with a 15-over 159.  After shooting an 82 on Friday, Copeland bounced back with a 77 on Saturday.  If Copeland is able to move into the top 10, Downen and Copeland would be the first pair of Kohawks to earn All-Iowa Conference honors in the same season since 2001 when Aaron Kessler (4th), Matt Cress (5th) andPat McElyea (8th) all earned conference honors.

Rounding out the Kohawks, returning All-Iowa Conference member Nolan Schmelzer (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine) is tied for 28th with a 167, while senior Nate Feldman (Jewel, Iowa/South Hamilton) is tied for 42nd with a 175. 

As a team, the Kohawks shaved 17 strokes off their score from Friday to Saturday.  Central leads with a 614, while Luther is right behind them at 615.  Coe has a distant lead on Simpson for sixth place with a 19-stroke lead.

The IIAC Championship continues Friday, May 1 at Indianola Country Club in Indianola. Tee times begin at 11:00 a.m. with players from Cornell, Dubuque, and Simpson hitting the links. Players from Buena Vista, Coe, and Wartburg will be paired in the second wave, while players from Central, Loras, and Luther will make up the final wave.