STOCKTON, California – Ben Crinella fired a three-under 69 to pace Hawai'i Hilo Men's Golf to a tie for sixth place after Thursday's opening round of the NCAA South Central/West Regional at The Reserve at Spanos Park Golf Course.

Crinella stands tied for No. 3 overall with five other golfers after landing five birdies (four through the front nine) and is just three shots behind the individual leader (Cal State San Marcos' Liam Weaver at minus six).

The Vulcans carded a one-under 287 to slot in at No. 6 with Cal State East Bay, No. 21 Dallas Baptist and No. 22 Colorado Mesa — matching the best start for Hawai'i Hilo in regional action since 2014 when they shot 300 to open in a tie for sixth before finishing second and advancing for a 13th-place finish at the NCAA National Championships.

Katsuhiro Yamashita was even par at 72 (No. T29), Dysen Park and Jacob Torres each carded 73 (No. T40) and Dylan Bercan was one shot behind at 74 (No. T58).

Western Washington leads the team standings at five-under (283) with No. 19 West Texas A&M (-4), Cal State San Marcos (-3), Cal State San Bernardino (-2) and Cameron (-2) trailing behind the top ahead of the Vulcans. The field features eight total teams ranked inside the top 25 including No. 8 St. Mary's (17th), No. 15 CSU Pueblo (T-15th), No. 23 UT Permian Basin (T-18th), No. 24 Colorado Christian (T-10th), No. 25 Chico State (T-12th). Hawai'i Hilo is ranked No. 28.

The top six teams will advance to the NCAA National Championships set for May 20-23 in Boulder City, Nevada.

UP NEXT

• Friday, May 8 (9 AM / 12 PM PT) at NCAA South Central/West Regional (Stockton, California) – Round 2
• Saturday, May 9 (TBD) at NCAA South Central/West Regional (Stockton, California) – Round 3

2026 NCAA DII South Central/West Regional Individual Leaderboard (Round 1)

2026 NCAA DII South Central/West Regional (Round 1)