The second round of 2003-2004 Penn State men's golf begins this weekend on the Island of St. Croix.

Big Ten rivals Indiana and Ohio State will be a part of the field competing in the Virgin Islands for the St. Croix Collegian Cup. The three round match begins today and will conclude on Sunday.

The Penn State men's team is following up a fall golf season that saw them place first in three consecutive tournaments.

Returning to the team from the fall are freshmen John Aubrey and Jason Pannone. Pannone had a strong, three-under par finish in November at the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, N.C.

Sophomores Chris Brown, David Dankmyer and Marco Poccia are also returning. Poccia, a redshirt freshman, stood out during the Northern Intercollegiate tournament in September. Competing simply for experience and with no bearing on the outcome, Poccia finished nine shots ahead of the next Lions player which would have been good enough for fourth place during the tournament.

Mark Leon, a junior from Brampton, Ontario made his mark early during the fall season with a breakout performance in the Temple Invitational. Leon finished third individually and led the Lions to a 10-stroke victory. Leon is joined by classmates Brian Fitzpatrick, Andrew Price, Rafael Toro, and 2003 All-Region team member Greg Pieczynski.

Jonas Hyden and Ted Neville are the only two seniors on the team. During the fall, Neville finished the rain-shortened Georgetown Hoya Invitational in first place, leading Penn State to its third straight first place finish. Hyden was Penn State's 2002-2003 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Winner for the men's golf team.

The Lions will be off for a month after the St. Croix Invitational before traveling to West Virginia for the Marshall Invitational.

-- By Chris Perkins