Denver, Colo. – Junior John Clare (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) tied for eighth place to lead the Le Moyne College men's golf team to its best finish in the program's history by placing 18th the 54-hole NCAA Division II Championships held Tuesday through Thursday at the par-72, 7327-yard Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

The Dolphins recorded a 54-hole score of 895 to place 18th, an improvement of 25 strokes and two places from last year. The Dolphins opened play at the Championship by registering a 300 in the first round to land in 17th place, the same spot they were in after 18 holes last year. They posted a 298 in the second round, but slipped a spot to 18th, just as they did a year ago. The Dolphins closed out the Championship by carding their best score in 10 all-time rounds at the national championship, a 297, on Thursday to maintain their hold on 18th place. In Le Moyne's previous two trips to the Championship (2007 and 2015), the Dolphins finished in 20th place each time.

The top eight teams from the three days advanced to the match play portion of the championship. Saint Leo claimed the top seed after posting a Championship-record score of 26-under par 838 (278-273-287). Chico State finished second with a 14-under 850 (282-280-288), while Florida Southern (282-286-283) was one shot back in third. Barry University (288-277-293) and Lynn University (291-281-286) tied for fourth place with an 858. Cal Baptist placed sixth with a one-under 863 (293-286-284), while West Florida was even par over the three days at 864 (294-290-280). Wilmington University's last competitor birdied his final hole to give the Wildcats the eighth spot with a two-over par 866 (289-286-291). Saint Leo's Hugo Bernard, a freshman, captured the individual national championship by two shots by registering a tournament-record score of 13-under par 203 off rounds of 65, 66 and 72.

Clare, who tied for 54th place at last year's Championship with a 10-over 223, registered the best performance by a Dolphin in the program's history with his tie for eighth place after carding a seven-under par 209. The 209 is the best score by a Dolphin in at least 11 years. Clare, who recorded 13 birdies and 35 pars over the 54 holes, opened the Championship with a three-under par 69 to land in an eight-way tie for fifth place. He carded an even-par 72 in the second round to dip into a three-way tie for 18th place. Clare was the highest mover of the top 15 finishers on Thursday by firing a four-under par 68.

Graduate student Dan Edwards (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira Free Academy) improved upon his debut NCAA appearance by 15 shots and 17 places by recording a 229 to tie for 90th place. After posting an 80 in the first round to tie for 96th place, he fired a two-over par 74 on Wednesday to move up into a tie for 92nd. He closed out his career with a three-over 75 in the final round to move up another two spots.

Senior Aidan Fuller (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) completed his collegiate career by recording a 230 to place in a three-way tie for 92nd, an improvement of 10 strokes and 14 places. On Tuesday, he registered a 77 to land in a 10-way tie for 78th place. He jumped up 10 places on Wednesday by firing a one-over par 73. In the final round of his career, he posted an 80 to slip to his final spot in the standings.

Sophomore Joe Petrin (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) placed in a three-way tie for 99th with a 233, one shot better than a year ago. He recorded a 75 in the first round to land in a 16-way tie for 57th place. After slipping to a three-way tie for 101st following an 83 on Wednesday, he tallied another 75 on Thursday to move up two places.

Sophomore Daniel Thomas (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) rounded out Le Moyne's competitors by recording a 237 after posting a 79 in each round. He was in a tie for 94th place following the first round, dipped into the three-way for 101st after the second round and finished in 104th.