MIDDLETOWN, Del. - - Mother Nature ruled the first day of the 2017 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Golf Championships as the teams battled through driving rain and wind all day Tuesday at the Back Creek Golf Course. The Wildcats are currently in second place with a 318 (+34).

The Wildcats are six strokes behind the leaders, as Dominican shot a 312 in the first round with one round remaining on Wednesday. The Wildcats are looking for their seventh straight CACC Tournament Championship.

Sophomore Ryan Rucinski was the first in the clubhouse for the Wildcats and finished with a team low 77 (+6) on Tuesday. He hit birdies on the par four ninth and par five 11^th while collecting nine pars on the afternoon. Rucinski is in fifth place after the first round.

Senior Sam Clark was one-under par through the first five holes after a birdie on hole two. He also birdied the par-five 11^th but finished with bogeys on four of the final five holes to finish with a 78 (+7) and in a tie for sixth overall.

Junior Zac Moore also finished with a 78 (+7) and in a tie for sixth shooting a 38 (+2) on the back nine. He hit pars on seven of the final nine holes, only bogeying two holes on the back nine. His 13 pars in the first round are the second most for the tournament.

Senior Miguel Siercke rounded out the Wildcats scoring on Tuesday with an 85 (+14). He birdied the 16^th hole but finished the day with back-to-back bogeys for a 43 (+7) on the back nine. He is in a tie for 28^th overall after the first round.

Senior Freddy Braun completed the Wildcats on the course on Tuesday, shooting an 87 (+16). The senior got off to a slow start on Tuesday but came back and posted a 37 (+1) on the back nine. He birdied the par-five 11^th and finished with pars on six of the final seven holes to close out his afternoon. He is in a tie for 35^th overall.

Nyack's Elliot Wakefield was the only player to finish under par on Tuesday, erasing a two-over par score in just two holes. He eagled the par-five 16^th before hitting a hole-in-one on the par-three 17^th to quickly fall to two-under par. He finished with a bogey on the 18^th green, closing his day with a 70 (-1). He is five strokes in front of the rest of the field.

The Wildcats are in the final pairings on Wednesday, as they will tee off with Post and Dominican. They will begin teeing off from the first hole at 10:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning.