DADE CITY, Fla. - - The Wilmington University golf team capped its first tournament of the 2018 spring season with a 302 in the third round at the Saint Leo Invitational on Tuesday, finishing in eighth place at the Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club.

The Wildcats posted a three-round, two-day score of 896, shooting rounds of 307-287-302 to finish at 32-over par. They finished ahead of Nebraska-Kearney in eighth place out of 12 teams.

Half of the field was filled with nationally ranked teams, as third ranked Nova Southeastern won the tournament with a three-round score of 845 (-19). Nationally 20^th ranked Lee University finished second with an 853 (-11) while host Saint Leo rounds out the top three with an 859 (-5).

Senior Joey Russo led the Wildcats with a 73 on Tuesday, finishing in a tie for 22^nd overall with a three-round score of 77-71-73 for a 221 (+5). Russo was in the top 20 of the tournament on par three scoring, finishing at one-over par for the tournament.

Sergio Ronchel and Enrique Valverde each shot a 75 on Tuesday, each moving up two spots on the leaderboard. Ronchel shot a 76-72-75 for a 223 (+7) to finish in a tie for 27^th while Valverde shot a 77-72-75 for a 224 (+8) and in a tie for 32^nd overall. Valverde shot five-under par on the par five holes this week, ranking in the 10 of the field. Ronchel had 36 pars in the tournament, the 11^th most in the field.

Ryan Rucinski rounded out the Wildcat score on Tuesday with a 79, finishing in a tie for 55^th overall with a 234 (+18). Rucinski shot an 80-75-79 for his 234, tying with teammate Zach Moore who went 77-72-85 for his 234.

Braden McKay played as an individual during the tournament, improving each round to finish with a 230 (+14). He shot a 78-77-75 to finish in a tie for 44^th overall. McKay also posted a score of five-under par on the par five holes.

Nationally fourth ranked Juan Jose Guerra won the tournament by four strokes, shooting a 66-66-69 for a 201 (-15). Lee University's Scott Odell posted a day's low 68 in the final round to jump into second place, shooting a 67-70-68 for a 205 (-11). Lander University's Conor Richards rounds out the top three with a 66-70-70 for a 206 (-10).

The Wildcats have a month off before returning to action, as they will take part in a four-team tournament at the ACE Club in Lafayette Hill, hosted by Jefferson on March 27.