LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Hawai'i Pacific University posted a second round team score of even-par 288 to move up to eighth after Monday's second round in the Las Vegas Desert Classic on Sunday at the Royal Links Golf Club.
 
The Sharks 288 gave them a two-round total of 593 to sit eighth, five strokes behind Northeastern State (Okla.) in seventh at 588. HPU holds a two stroke lead over No. 32 Washburn (Kan.) in ninth at 595 and three strokes ahead of No. 39 Colorado Mesa at 596. No. 26 Wingate (N.C.) is 11th at 597 and No. 45 Central Oklahoma is 12th at 598.
 
The tournament is led by No. 3 West Florida that posted a team score of 9-under 279 on Monday for a 10-under 566 total. That's three strokes better than host No. 29 Missouri-St. Louis that had a 10-under 278 for the day and a 7-under 569 for the tournament. No. 10 St. Mary's (Texas) had a 5-under 283 in the second round and is third at 3-under 573. The 15-team tournament that features nine nationally ranked teams concludes on Tuesday.
 
The Sharks were led on Monday by the pair of senior Chad Vander Dussen of Rancho Murieta, Calif./Pleasant Grove and sophomore Sirasit Prateepmongkol of Bangkok, Thailand/Ruamrudee International who both fired 1-under 71 on the par 72, 6,962-yard  Links Replica course.
 
Vander Dussen collected four birdies and three bogeys on Monday, while Prateepmongkol had five birdies, but four bogeys on the day. Both are tied for 26th at 3-over 147 after two rounds.
 
Senior Masato Yoshitsugu of Aichi, Japan/Bluffton S.C. Heritage Academy had the most interesting round of the day for HPU on his way to a 1-over 73. Yoshitsugu birdied seven holes, five on the front nine, but suffered five bogeys and a triple bogey 7 on the par 4 16th hole. Yoshitsugu has a two round total of 149.
 
Senior Zach Kwan of Sacramento, Calif./Granite Bay also shot a 1-over 73 with three birdies, one bogey and a triple bogey for a two-round total of 152. Senior Chris McKnight of Wilton, Calif./Cosumnes Oaks added a 6-over 78 on Monday for a 155 total.
 
St. Mary's Jake Stevenson fired a 4-under 68 to take the individual lead on Monday a 6-under 138. He's a stroke better than West Florida's Henry Butler who shot an even-par 72 to sit at 5-under 139. There's a five-way tie for third at 3-under 141.
 
The round of the day belonged to Texas-Tyler's Tyler Uhlig who fired a 5-under-67, equaling the low round of the tournament with Butler's 67 on Sunday.
 
The final round tees off with a shotgun start at 6 a.m. HST (8 a.m. PST) on Tuesday. The Sharks play with Northeastern State and Washburn, starting on holes 7 through 10.