LAS VEGAS - UC Riverside is in second - three strokes behind first - after 18 holes at the Big West Championships from the Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas. 

The Highlanders are one of four teams separated by just five strokes at the top of the leaderboard. 

UCR took command early, going up two strokes to sit pretty in first after three holes while Tiffany Le led the charge with three birdies on the first three holes. Le ended her day with another round under par, this time shooting 70 (-2) to sit in second entering Monday. 

This is Le's second consecutive top-three standing after 18 holes at the conference championships after tying for third following last year's first round. 

The other half of the Le dynamic duo performed just as well on day one in Las Vegas. Nicole Le carded two birdies on the front nine and one on the back nine to shoot a 73 (+1), tying her second-lowest round of the year to put her tied for fifth. The senior has now carded her best first round scores of the season in her last two tournaments after shooting a season-low 72 (E) to open the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic. 

Vanessa Betancourt and Mylan Hirata are both tied for 20th while Gabrielle Kiger is tied for 38th. 

Round two from the Spanish Trail Country Club will tee off on Tuesday morning with live results available on Golfstat.