ERIE, Pa. – Penn State Altoona men's golf had one of its best performances of the season on Monday afternoon, when the Lions shot 315 to finish in second place out of 10 teams at the Penn State Behrend James M. Bowen Invitational at Lawrence Park Golf Club.

Penn State Altoona's team score of 315 is tied for its second-lowest score of the season. The Lions finished just two strokes out of first place, as host Penn State Behrend won its invitational with a score of 313.

Penn State Altoona finished ahead of fellow Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponents Pitt-Bradford (third place, 322), Medaille College (fourth place, 335), La Roche University (fifth place, 337), Penn State Behrend's 'B' team (sixth place, 341), Mount Aloysius College (seventh place, 367), Hilbert College (eighth place, 379), Pitt-Greensburg (ninth place, 393), and D'Youville College (10th place, 420).

The Lions got competitive scores from their entire lineup, with three players shooting in the 70s and the other two posting scores in the low 80s.

"Once again, the guys were right in the thick of things. It was great to get production out of the bottom of the lineup, but we pride ourselves on our depth," said Penn State Altoona head coach Tom Koehle. "One through five, anyone can be the leader any given day."

Jimmy Gillespie (Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley), Ryan Marshall (Pittsburgh, PA/Peters Township), and Jacob Mrvos (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) each shot 78 to finish in a tie for third place out of 50 individual golfers. Marshall's score was the lowest of his freshman season, Mrvos' score tied his career-low, and Gillespie's score was the third-lowest of his season.

"This is the shot of confidence Ryan and Jake were looking for heading into the conference tournament," Koehle stated.

Rounding out the Lions' five were Ethan Yohe (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional), who carded an 81 to tie for 10th place, and Luke Hoffnagle (York, PA/Spring Grove), who shot 82 to tie for 13th place.

With the regular season now complete, the Penn State Altoona men's golf team has its sights set on its sixth AMCC title. The Lions will compete in the two-day AMCC Championships at Avalon Lakes Golf and Country Club in Warren, Ohio on Sunday, October 13 and Monday, October 14.

"I like how we are trending heading to Avalon," Koehle said. "Our performance has steadily improved as the season has progressed, and it will take two good rounds out of the entire top five to pull off the championship."