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LA QUINTA, Calif. - The two-team race for the title seems locked between Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State, as the Titans hold a three-stroke lead over the defending champions with more than 10 strokes separating second and third after Monday’s second round at La Quinta Country Club. 

The Titans fired another impressive team score of 8-under par to move to a two-day tally of 17-under 559. Just three strokes back after consecutive days at seven under, LBSU is nipping at the heels due in no small part to the play of sophomore Krishnav Nikhil Chopraa.  

The sophomore kept the Round 1 momentum going and coupled the eye-popping 63 with today’s 6-under 66 to keep the lead at eight strokes over defending individual medalist Tegan Andrews of Cal State Fullerton. Chopraa again produced a bogey-free round, carding four birdies to go along with an eagle on the 516-yard Par 5 fifth hole. Andrews finished the round at three under as the Titans’ team leader with Matthew Schafer sitting in a tie for third in the individual standings at 5-under 139 alongside Josh McCartain of Idaho.  

Cal State Fullerton’s team balance kept the Titans up top as all four countable scores on the day were under par. Joining Andrews at three-under was freshman Will Tanaka. Schafer and first-year Titan junior Giacomo Comerio closed the day at 1-under and all four men are in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard.  

Rei Harahima of UC Irvine was one of three individuals to record a 4-under 68 on the day to jump up six places on the leaderboard. Harashima moved up six spots into the top five with UC Santa Barbara’s Dylan Ma leaping 14 places into a tie for sixth. Josh Hayashida of Hawai’i carded an eagle on the fifth hole to highlight the round of 68 as the Rainbow Warrior was the biggest change on moving day, up 25 spots.  

With desert winds calm, team scores across the board improved with 10 of 12 squads seeing improvement.  The climb for UC Santa Barbara moved the Gauchos up five spots in the team standings after three under-par rounds. The Gauchos moved up into the first wave on Championship Tuesday after the leap.  

Knotted in fourth, UC Davis and UC Irvine will be joined by UCSB off of the first tee beginning at 8 a.m. as Cal Poly, CSUN and UC Riverside open the morning on the 10th tee.  

The leaders – Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and Idaho – swing away from No. 1 beginning at 8:50 a.m. with UC San Diego, Sacramento State and Hawai’i rounding out the event playing from No. 10.