SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- With snow covering Sioux Falls and temperatures below freezing, the Augustana men's golf team is headed southwest to start their season. The Vikings will open play in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Minot State Invite on Friday and finish the two-day event on Saturday.

The tournament will be played at the Aliante Golf Club, which stretches more than 7,000 yards from the back tees. The course is highlighted by two water features, generous landing areas, and strategic use of trees. Fans can follow live stats throughout the weekend here.

In their most recent season in the fall of 2018, the Vikings played in four tournaments with their best finish being second at the Augustana Invitational. At the invite, the Vikings went into day two tied for second place (304) with St. Cloud State, and shot a solid final-round 295 (+9) to finish in second place. Individually, the Vikings were led by Jacob Lee, who finished at 3-over par in 4th place and Senior Carter Kranz shot a two-day 149 (74/75) to finish tied for 6th place at 5-over.

Last fall, Augustana was picked to place eighth in the NSIC by the league coaches. The Vikings do return two upperclassmen in Cole Crawford (junior) and Kranz (senior), and also bring in a strong recruiting class, including NSIC men's golf preseason player to watch in freshman Jacob Lee.

Fans interested in staying up to date with the team throughout the year can follow on twitter @AugieMensGolf

The 2018-19 three-round NSIC Men's Golf Championship will take place this spring on April 18-20 at Shoal Creek Golf Course in Kansas City, Missouri.