LAS VEGAS  — The University of La Verne men's golf team battled nearly unplayable conditions on day two and finished strong to take third at the Warrior Invitational at Stallion Mountain Golf Club.

The Leopards, the only NCAA DIII institution in the invite, finished ahead of fourth place and NAIA No. 1 ranked Rocky Mountain College. Division II Indianapolis took first and DII Winona State finished second.

Top-Five Team Scores

Indianapolis, 609
Winona State, 631
La Verne, 633
Rocky Mountain College, 637
Westminster College (UT), 647

Conner Davis took fifth overall, shooting a 74 on day one and a 79 on day two, moving up 11 spots to finish with a nine-over, 153. Davis led the Leopards with six birdies.

Jake Littlejohn had a huge tournament for the Leopards. The sophomore did what no other golfer could do on Wednesday as 50mph winds blasted the course and matched his score from Tuesday. His 78 on day two was the low score of the round and shot him 36 spots up the leaderboard for eighth place with a score of twelve-over, 156. Davis and Littlejohn were the only two golfers to card under 80 on day two.

"It was almost unplayable but great for our guys," said head coach Eric Riehle. "Toughness displayed, toughness experienced, toughness exposed."

Jason Brown finished one stroke behind Littlejohn with a thirteen-over, 157 to tie for ninth. Brown shot the low score of the week for La Verne, a one-under 71 in the first round.

Connor Dunlop tied for 20th with a score of 161. The freshman shot a 73 on Tuesday. Pitluk Phanomchai shot a 162 to tie for 23rd.

Hisham Hussein shot a 78 on day one and Nathan Stepanski shot a 73 to open the invite. The pair finished tied for 56th at 175.

"We're jacked for the rest of the season and in particular for preparing for the West Cup next," said Riehle.