HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – A final round 297 propelled the 19th-ranked Saint Leo men's golf team to a seventh place finish at the NCAA South/Southeast Regionals on the El Campeon Golf Course at Mission Inn Resort & Spa Saturday. Finishing the regionals in seventh qualified the Lions to advance to the NCAA Division II National Championship.
 
Saint Leo finished the 54-hole regional with a team score of 901 (+37) with rounds of 304-300-297. Dave Longhini fired off a one-under 71 Saturday, leading the team with a 23rd place finish at eight-over 224.
 
The Lions started off the final round on the back-nine where the Green and Gold holed one eagle, eight birdies and 23 par's while on the front the Lions sank four birdies between the five golfers and 25 par's on the front nine to maintain position inside the 'cut line'. Around 5:12 p.m. weather in the area caused a delay in play which at the time, Saint Leo was sitting on the outside looking in, one stroke out of seventh place. Once play resumed at 6:48 p.m., the Green and Gold held steady while teams above them dropped strokes allowing for the Lions to slide into seventh place. 
 
As a team, it marks the second straight year and third in four years that the Lions will be heading to the national championships. At last year's national championship, Saint Leo finished stroke play seventh out of the 20 teams and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals but fell 3-2 to Barry. Saint Leo will be joined by  Sunshine State Conference foes Lynn, Barry, and Florida Southern as four of the seven teams out of the South/Southeast Regional. West Florida, USC-Aiken, and Lincoln Memorial will be the other three teams heading to Daniels, W.Va.
 
Saint Leo Scores
7  – Saint Leo, 304-300-297, 901 (+37)
T23 – Dave Longhini, 78-75-71, 224 (+8)
T39 – Oliver Lilliedahl, 72-75-80, 227 (+11)
T46 – Nilo Sanchez, 76-76-76, 228 (+12)
T72 – Alberto Castagnara, 86-74-72, 232 (+16)
T72 – Antoine Beaupre-Vachon, 78-76-78, 232 (+16)

Up Next
After qualifying for the National Championship, the Lions will head to Daniels, W. Va. May 20-24 for the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship at Resort at Glades Springs.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men's golf program be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.