GREENSBURG, Pa. - - On the second day of the 2019 NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Super Regional Tournament, the Wilmington University golf team shot a 305 on Tuesday, sitting in third place heading into the final round of play at the Totteridge Golf Course.
The Wildcats are three strokes off the lead after two rounds, posting rounds of 296-305 for a 601 (+25). Bentley shot a 294 in the second round on Friday and is now in first place with a 598 (+22). Southern New Hampshire is in second place with rounds of 298-301 for a 599 (+13).
Senior Ryan Rucinski led the Wildcats on Friday with a 73 (+1), moving into a tie for fourth overall in the tournament. Starting on the back nine, Rucinski had two birdies on the back nine, but a bogey on the par four 18th had him making the turn at two over. He then sank three straight birdies on two, three, and four, to get to one-under for his round, but back-to-back bogeys put him back to one-over with three holes to play. His round ended with three pars, closing out his 73 (+1).
Jack Dixon and Enrique Valverde each shot a 76 (+4) on Friday, with Dixon sitting in a tie for ninth place. Through two rounds, Dixon has rounds of 73-76 for a 149 (+5). Dixon got back to even par with an eagle on 17, sinking his second shot on the par four, making the turn at even par. He also birdied the par five fourth to get back to one-over par, but three bogeys on his final five holes had him settle into his 76 (+4).
Valverde moved up 13 spots into a tie for 24th overall with a two-day score of 153 (+9). He birdied the par four 18th to make his turn at two-over par and had seven pars on the front nine, but two bogeys finished out his round at 76 (+4).
Braden McKay is in a tie for 21st overall after two rounds of action, shooting an 80 (+8) on Friday. He is eight over par after two rounds with a 152. McKay birdied the par four 11th to get back to even par, but five bogeys had him make his turn at five-over par. He had six pars on the front nine, but also had three bogeys to finish with 80 (+3).
Arvy Shongwe rounded out the Wildcats on the course with an 82 (+10) on Friday, sinking birdie putts on the par four 13th, par four 18th, and the par four third. He is in a tie for 90th overall with a two-round score of 163 (+19).
Southern New Hampshire's Matt Paradis continues to lead the tournament, shooting a 70 on Friday for a two-day score of 137 (-7). He is eight strokes ahead of second place Owen Elliott (Shepherd) is in second place with a two-round score of 145 (+1) while Frank Pierce's Dylan Pliss is third with a 146 (+2).
The Wildcats will be paired with Bentley and Southern New Hampshire on Saturday, and will begin teeing off at 12:50 p.m. from the first hole. The Top three teams will advance to the NCAA Division II National Tournament.