DRIGGS, Idaho — After two rounds on the opening day of the Showdown in the Rockies, Saint Mary's sits in fourth place following strong performances by the team's newcomers.

LEADERBOARD
The host, Utah, currently stands as the team leader heading into the final day of action at 8-under but had to halt play on the final two holes due to darkness, as did second place Oregon State (6-under). Texas Tech, who will also finish round two tomorrow, resides in third place, trailing the Beavers by a stroke for the runner up spot while holding just a single stroke lead over the Gaels (4-under). No other school in the 10-team tournament is under par.

Saint Mary's has two players in the top-10 heading into the final day as freshman Ryan Grauman is tied for fourth (4-under) and transfer sophomore Ethan Farnam sits just a stroke behind tied for eighth. Blake Hathcoat also rests just inside the top-15 while tied for 14th at 1-over.

Spencer Tibbits of Oregon State had a breakout second round at 7-under to take sole possession of first entering the final day with a total 9-under showing. Kyler Dunkle of Utah, who co-led with Grauman after the first round, is a stroke back of Tibbits.

FIRST ROUND HIGHLIGHTS
Grauman tied for first in the opening round with a 6-under par score.
Grauman had five birdies in the front 9 and finished with eight total.
Farnam and Hathcoat each finished 1-under and Hathcoat had three birdies on the back 9.
The Gaels combined for a 284 score and trailed the leader Utah by five strokes heading into the second round.

SECOND ROUND HIGHLIGHTS
Farnam had another consistent under par round to finish at 3-under on the day and had three straight birdies on the back 9.
Michael Slesinski had a terrific back 9 with three birdies and an eagle on 15th to finish at 2-under for the round.
Despite facing some trouble in the middle round, Ethan Ashbrook scored an eagle on 15th hole.

THOUGHTS FROM SCOTT HARDY
"Huntsman Springs is a demanding golf course that requires patience and creativity. We were able to get off to a solid start and stay in contention throughout the day."
"Ryan played a great first round and the rest of the team stepped up in round two. We have a great chance to start our season on a positive note tomorrow. I'm anxious to see how we handle it considering we have three first time players competing for our team."

UP NEXT: FINAL ROUND
The Gaels return to the course tomorrow morning to complete the Showdown in the Rockies. Fans can follow along with the action by clicking here.