NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - Heading into the postseason, four Wilmington University golfers were honored by the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, headlined by Joey Russo being named the Golfer of the Year and Sergio Ronchel as the Rookie of the Year.
In addition to the major award recipients, Russo and Ronchel are joined on the All-CACC Team by Ryan Rucinski and Zac Moore. The All-CACC Team and major awards are decided by the individual rankings accumulated throughout the season and compiled by GolfStat.com.
Joey Russo (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) concludes his regular season career a the top golfer in the CACC, being named All-CACC all four seasons, including the 2015 CACC Rookie of the Year and three-time CACC All-Tournament Team member. According to GolfStat.com, he is ranked sixth in the East Region after nine tournaments and 23 rounds played this season. Russo carries a 74.17 average score into the Super Regionals, going 2.91 against the par. He shot a low round of 71 in five different rounds, finishing a season best third at the CACC Championship and the Jefferson Spring Quad.
Sergio Ronchel Salas (Huelva, Spain) is ranked 12 in the East Region and the top rookie in the CACC. He has also played in nine tournaments, totaling 23 rounds for 2017-18. He carries a 75.17 scoring average and has a 3.83 score against the par. He won the Jefferson Spring Quad with a 73, and had two rounds in the 60's this year. His low round of the year came at the Hawaii Hilo Invitational, posting a 67 in the second round. He also posted a 68 in the final round of the Denis Rose Invitational.
Ryan Rucinski (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) returns to the All-CACC Team after being named the CACC Golfer and Rookie of the Year in 2016. He is ranked ninth in the East Region, playing in 10 tournaments with 25 rounds this year. He is second on the team with a 74.96 scoring average with a 3.64 score against the par. Rucinski's low round of 68 came at the Dennis Rose Invitational, finishing second overall with a 68-74-68 for a total score of 210. He also finished fourth at the CACC Championship and third at the St. Thomas Aquinas Spring Invitational this year.
Zac Moore (Brantford, Ontario/Bishop Tonnos Catholic) rounds out the All-CACC performers for the Wildcats, ranking 15th in the East Region according to GolfStat.com. Moore played in 10 tournaments this year, competing in 25 rounds. He has a 75.48 average score and is 4.16 against the par this season. Moore finished atop the leaderboard at the Jefferson Spring Quad with a 73, with a season low round of 72 at four different tournaments. Moore finished eighth at the CACC Championship and ninth at the St. Thomas Aquinas Spring Invitational.
The conference's sports information directors voted Dominican's Keith Prokop as the CACC Coach of the Year while Felician earned the Team Sportsmanship Award.
The Wildcats are competing at the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Super Regional Tournament this week, looking to finish in the top three overall to earn a trip to the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
AGATE:
2017-18 CACC Men's Golf All-Conference Teams:
Sebastian Armas (Dominican College)
Mos Bangpetch (Concordia College)
Michael Erickson (Post University)
Kyle Hughes (Post University)
Leonard Lee (Dominican College)
Zac Moore (Wilmington University)
Sergio Ronchel (Wilmington University)
Ryan Rucinski (Wilmington University)
Joey Russo (Wilmington University)
Hunter Wescott (Dominican College)
Golf Player of the Year: Joey Russo (Wilmington University)
Golf Rookie of the Year: Sergio Ronchel (Wilmington University)
Golf Coach of the Year: Keith Prokop (Dominican College)
Team Sportsmanship Award: Felician University