SANTA CLARITA, Calif. --- On an inclement day at Sand Canyon Country Club, Head Coach Max Allen's Men's Golf team fared better than most and sits in third place after its first round of play.

"It was high 30's in the morning with nearly an hour long delay due to frost," said Allen. "Once the round began the winds picked up gusting as high as 30 mph. It was easy to get uncomfortable today."

Parker Buck (11th place) and Dominic Ariondo (13th place) sit just outside the top-10 after posting scores of +3 and +4 through 18 holes. It is a particularly strong start for Ariondo, who made the travel squad for the first time since the ERAU Co-Ed Invite last October.

"Parker, Kyle McAbee, and Dom were all off to hot starts, recording several birdies between them, including one eagle from Parker," said Allen. "All three players were at 2-under at one point.  The whole field gave strokes bac when the winds started taking effect on the second nine and we were no exception."

The Eagles find themselves in third place after a partially completed second round that was suspended due to darkness. Four teams managed to complete their second playthrough and posted nearly identical scores to their first round totals in difficult playing conditions to put the pressure on the rest of field to do the same.

Biola finished with a first round score of 310 and will have to do its best to work around and through the inclement weather again tomorrow to keep its place on the leaderboard. Play is expected to resume about an hour after the 7:30 a.m. scheduled start time and will include the completion of the second round in addition to the third.

That gives Ariondo, Buck and the rest of the Eagles 36 holes to continue their impressive performance against other competitors who hail from well-known NCAA Division I institutions. After day one, Buck and Ariondo find their names ahead of two golfers from UCLA and one golfer from Michigan who are playing as individuals.

"The second rounds are promising considering the conditions," said Allen. "We have a few holes to finish due to darkness ending the 2nd round early but I like the momentum we gained. The guys weren't deterred by the conditions but showing a tenacity to figure out how to best score through it. It will be a shootout for the final round and a lot can change in 18 holes."