NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Vanguard men's golf finished sixth at the Pacific West Conference Tournament the past three days, rising two places in the standings on Wednesday.  VU had 906 total strokes (301-314-291) and had the second-lowest team score on Wednesday at +3.  Alexander Elia topped the table for the Blue and Gold, finishing in a tie for ninth at +2 (74-74-70, 218), equaling his season-low for three rounds.  The Vulcans of the University of Hawaii at Hilo won the men's tournament title for the third year in a row, while UHH's Dylan Bercan made it three individual championships in a row for UHH, as he won the event at  (68-68-73) after a sudden-death playoff hole against Jessup's Michael Sorber.
 
The Course:  Set at over 7,000 yards from the furthest tees, and set as a par-72, the course runs through a community but lets the not-too-distant arroyo creep into play, giving the participants unique angles and lies.  Two water features guard two holes, but the course is otherwise straightforward and invites golfers to set season-best scores.  Gary Panks designed the course, which is one of the newer ones in the area, as the facility opened on December 5, 2003.
 
What Happened?  Elia limited his mistakes on all three days, with 12 pars and a birdie on the seventh and 14th holes helping his cause on his first round.  13 pars came his way on Tuesday, with birdies falling in on the eighth and ninth holes for another round of 74.  His last act was his best, tying the team-high of five birdies (third, sixth, eighth, 15th, and 16th holes) and capturing 10 pars for a -2 round of 70, shoving the freshman to an ninth-place result.  Elia ended tied for seventh with 35 pars for the tournament and tied for seventh on par-five performance (-3, 4.75 average).  He also tallied nine total birdies to end tied for 15th.
 
Kyle Koski came close to finishing inside the top 10, as the freshman concluded the tournament in a tie for 12th at +4 (220).  His first and third rounds were his best, with the freshman going -1 on Monday.  He set the team-high for birdies that day with five, picking them up on the sixth, eighth, ninth, 15th, and 18th holes.  He coupled those with nine pars for a 71 after 18 holes.  He would like to have his Tuesday back though, as Koski had a 77 to lower his spot on the standings.  10 pars was an improvement, but he only had birdies on the seventh and eighth holes, giving him work to do to stay in the hunt for a top-10 finish.  Koski did just that, as he sank birdies on the second, fourth, and 11 holes, and found 12 pars to end with an even 72 to conclude the tournament.  Koski led the Lions with 10 birdies (T-13th overall), nailed 31 pars for the event, and finished tied for fifth on par-three performance (-1, 2.92 average).
 
Paul Howard was 29th at the end of the event at +16 (232) for three rounds, but rose in the standings thanks to a very good third round.  His first journey of the course saw Howard drop in 11 pars and a birdie on the eighth hole for a 78, but he lost his touch a little on Tuesday, making nine pars and one birdie on the 16th to end with an 83.  But despite that, Howard rebounded perfectly on Wednesday, cruising through the course with only one double-bogey on the 12th hole marring his day.  He otherwise made birdies on the sixth, seventh, and 15th holes and hit par on the 14 other holes to end at 71 (-1) for the day, tying his season-low for one round.  Howard sank 34 pars over three days
 
Matthew Wilkes had three birdies on the opening day, sinking them on the fourth, 11th, and 16th holes, in addition to seven pars to end at +6 (78).  He came out the next day and deposited nine more pars and a birdie on the fourth hole to end with an 81 and then returned to the 70s for his final round.  Wilkes had 10 pars today and a birdie on the third hole to clock a 79, giving the senior 238 (+22) strokes for the tournament.
 
Rex Robinette finished in 38th for the Blue and Gold and opened his tournament with a round of 79, with birdies on the 10th, 14th, and 17th holes.  He also pocketed nine pars on day one.  Moving to Tuesday, Robinette birdied the fourth hole to stay one-under-par through six holes, with the senior netting four pars the rest of the way to tally an 82.  On Wednesday, Robinette made nine pars and birdied the third and 11th holes to give himself his best round of the tournament at 78, tallying 239 shots (+23) in all. 
 
The Lions as a team were fourth in total pars at the tournament (153) and finished seventh in birdies (35).  VU was mid-table on performances across the board, finishing fourth on par threes and sixth on fours and fives.

What was Said?  "What a great way to end our spring season with a strong performance from our men's team in our first PacWest Championship," said Head Coach Jeff Anderson.  "We were led by our underclassmen and the future is definitely bright for Vanguard golf, to God be the Glory."