LAKELAND, Fla. – On a loaded leaderboard featuring seven of the nation's Top-15 programs, the Nova Southeastern men's golf team finished with a respectable fifth-place tie at this week's Matlock Collegiate Classic, hosted by Florida Southern.

INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT:
Tournament Finish: T-5th of 14 teams
Tournament Champion: West Florida
Location: Lone Palm Golf Club | Lakeland, Fla.
Par/Yardage: 72/7,065
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MGolf | Instagram - @NSU_MGolf | Facebook - /NSUGolfTeam

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The 13^th-ranked Sharks produced their low round of the tournament Tuesday, posting a collective effort of (+11) 299 to earn a share of fifth with Clayton State at 41-over par overall.
• No. 3 West Florida (-3) cruised to a wire-to-wire victory, beating runners-up Lynn and Limestone by a whopping 28 strokes.
• Barry cracked the Top-5 as well, taking fourth with a 54-hole score of 29-over par.
• Teeing off on No. 6 Tuesday, Victor Jimenez opened brilliantly with birdies on three of his first six holes before later closing with one on the Par-5 5^th to register a final round of even-par 72. At eight-over par for the tournament, Jimenez finished tied for 16^th.
• A score of (+3) 75 in Tuesday's final round was enough to land freshman Joseba Torres right alongside Jimenez in a tie for 16^th as well. The Top-20 finish marks the first of his young career.
• At 12-over par, fellow freshman Javier Calles rounded out play tied for 29^th.
• Meanwhile, Mike Hay dropped in an eagle in the Par-5 2^nd on his way to a final-round 78. His 54-hole total of 16-over par was enough to land a share of 34^th.
• Emanuel Olofsson enjoyed a tournament-best round of 75 Tuesday, moving him into a tie for 44^th at 19-over par for the week.

STATS OF THE DAY:

• NSU's scoring average of 4.88 on the Par-5's ranked fourth in the field.
• Hay collected one of the 10 combined eagles throughout the tourney.
• Torres led the team in overall Par-3 (3.13) and Par-5 (4.50) scoring average, while Calles paced the Sharks on the Par-4's (4.25).
• Calles' combined 24 pars were tied for fourth-most among all 78 players.

BEYOND THE SCORECARD:

• Jimenez has now tied for 16^th in each of his first two tournament appearances this season.
• West Florida's Alejandro Restrepo earned individual medalist honors with a score of two-under par, beating out three others who tied for second at one-under.

UP NEXT:
NSU will take a week off from competition before returning to the course on Mar. 21 for the start of the Space Coast Collegiate Championship in Viera, Fla. To stay up-to-date with the Sharks, visit NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Instagram or Twitter at @NSU_MGolf.

Another quality showing for the Sharks! 🦈

Victor Jimenez and Joseba Torres finish Top-20.#GoNSUSharks pic.twitter.com/vuxYUGi2xv

— NSU_MGolf (@NSU_MGolf) March 9, 2021