LAKE CITY, Minn. - After the first round of the NSIC/US Bank Men's Golf Championship, the University of Sioux Falls men are in ninth place. Led by Derek Dillon's four-over 75, USF is in a tight pack of five teams after the opening round at The Jewel Golf Club.

The Cougars have three players in the top 25 and are in a three-team cluster separated by three strokes after the first of four rounds; seven strokes separate teams five through nine. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships are four rounds split between the fall and spring seasons. The fall two rounds will conclude with a 9 a.m. shotgun start tomorrow.

Sioux Falls' top four golfers combined to shoot a 23-over-par 307 on the first day and are 15 strokes back from leader St. Cloud State. The Huskies opened the 2014-15 championship tournament with an eight-over-par 292.

On the individual leaderboard, Christian Archer of Upper Iowa and Augustana's Tyler Jensvold share the overall lead after each shot a one-under 70.

Playing well for the Cougars, Dillon extends his streak to five straight rounds at 76 or under when he carded a 75 on Monday afternoon. Dillon enters the second day of the tournament in a tie for 13th.

Talon Eich bounced back from a tough two rounds at the SCSU Fall Classic and shot a five-over-par 76 to open the NSIC/US Bank Championships. Tied with Eich in 24th, Ben Loosbrock shot a 75 on the first day of competition as well.

Josh Atkins was the fourth scorer for the Cougars after he recorded an opening-round 80. Atkins' nine-over-par first round places him in a tie for 40th. One spot back from Atkins is Jon Van't Hul who carded an 11-over-par 82.