Copyright 2016; Wilmington University. All rights reserved. File photo of Braun during the third round at the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championship.
SEASIDE, Calif. - - The Wilmington University gold team sits in 13th place after the first two rounds of the Otter Invitational on Monday, shooting a 306-301 on the first day on the Bayonet Golf Course hosted by CSU Monterey Bay.
The 607 (+31) is three strokes behind Chico State for 12th place and four strokes ahead of UC San Diego. Nova Southeastern leads the tournament after the first day, shooting a 575 (-1) in the two rounds. Lynn University trails by three strokes with a 578 (+2) while host CSU Monterey Bay is in third with a 582 (+6).
Senior Freddy Braun didn't factor into the team scoring in the first round with an 80, but came back to shoot the best round of the day for the Wildcats with a 72 in round two. He is in a tie for 45th overall with his 80-72, for a 152 (+8).
Senior Sam Clark improved his play from the morning to the afternoon, finishing with a 77-76 for a 153 (+9). He is tied for 50th overall with two of his teammates. Junior Joey Russo had the team's best score in the first round with a 74, but dropped a 79 in round two to finish with a 153 (+9) for the day. Fellow senior Miguel Siercke improved in the afternoon by three strokes, shooting a 78-75 for his 153 (+9) as well.
Junior transfer Zac Moore completed the scoring for the Wildcats in both rounds on Monday, shooting a 77-78 for a 155 (+11). Moore is in a tie for 60th overall after the first two rounds.
The Wildcats and the rest of the field trail Simon Frazer's Chris Crisologo's 69-68, for a 137 (-7) after two rounds. Nova Southeastern's Juan Jose Guerra is two strokes back after his 72-67, for a (139).
As a team, the Wildcats lead the tournament with 57 pars in the first two rounds. But the Wildcats only collected eight birdies in the day, 11 off the pace set by Lynn's 19. The Wildcats are tied for fifth in the tournament at finishing with three-over par on the par three holes, averaging 3.15 strokes per hole. They are also seventh overall on par four scoring, finishing 12-over par in averaging 4.24 shots per hole. But the team ranks 15th on the par five scoring, finishing five-over par and averaging 5.25 strokes per opportunity on the long holes.
The final round is a shotgun start on Tuesday morning, with the Wildcats paired up to play with UC San Diego and the Academy of Art. The will begin teeing off at 11:00 a.m. (ET) to close out the tournament.