ERIE, Pa. – Penn State Altoona men's golf shot 312 as a team to finish in second place at Monday's James M. Bowen Invitational, hosted by Penn State Behrend at Lawrence Park Golf Club.

La Roche College came in first place with 305. Runner-up Penn State Altoona's score of 312 is the team's third-lowest of the season.

The Lions placed ahead of fellow Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference teams Penn State Behrend (315), Pitt-Bradford (315), Mount Aloysius College (320), Penn State Behrend's 'B' team (320), Pitt-Greensburg (321), Medaille College (340), Hilbert College (397), and D'Youville College (404).

"It was a challenging day, as rain and wind swept in off Lake Erie at different times. It took a lot of patience, and the guys handled it well," said Penn State Altoona head coach Tom Koehle. "Today's finish will springboard us into AMCCs with confidence."

Jimmy Gillespie (Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley) again led the way for Penn State Altoona, tying his college career-low by shooting 74 to tie for second place out of 54 individual golfers. Meanwhile, Luke Hoffnagle (Spring Grove, PA/Spring Grove) tied his best score of the season, firing a 76 to tie for seventh place.

"Jimmy played consistently all day. He made one little mistake and overcame it with a birdie on his next hole. He has a great opportunity for postseason accolades," said Koehle. "Luke is finding his game. Today's round was more like what we have come to expect. Hopefully, he can build off of today through next weekend."

Ethan Yohe (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) tied for 13th place, carding a 79. Carter Fischer (Bellefonte, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) shot 83 to tie for 25th, and Payton Guelich (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) shot 84 to tie for 30th.

Penn State Altoona men's golf has one more regular season invitational on its schedule, as the Lions will travel to Abbottstown, Pa. this Wednesday, October 3 to compete in the Gettysburg College Invitational at Hanover Country Club. Tee time is expected to be 12:30 p.m.

After that, Penn State Altoona will prepare for the AMCC Championships on Sunday, October 7 and Monday, October 8 at Avalon Lakes Golf and Country Club in Warren, Ohio.