DADE CITY, Fla. –  The Valdosta State men's golf team put together arguably its best tournament of the season, finishing fifth at the 2022 Saint Leo Invitational on the par 72, 7,173-yard Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club.   The Blazers finished with a 6-under 858 score for the tournament on rounds of 284, 287 and 287.  Nova Southeastern fired a final round 279 to pull into a tie for the tournament with Lee.   Lee ended up winning in a playoff against NSU for the team title. 
 
Keiser University finished third with an 852 score, while Lynn finished fourth with an 853 score.  Host Saint Leo finished sixth with an even par 864, while Tampa was seventh (866), followed by Embry-Riddle (875), Indianapolis (879) and Tusculum rounded out the top ten with an 881 score. 
 
Blazer junior Chase Weathers finished tenth to pace the team with a 4-under 212 score on rounds of 69, 73 and 70, while graduate student Wesley Hanson finished tied for 16^th with a 1-under 215 (71-72-72), as did sophomore Ryan Pollman on rounds of 72, 70 and 73.  Senior Gage Smith tied for 27^th with an even par 216 score on three rounds of 72, while sophomore Jackson Cross tied for 76^th with a 232 score on rounds of 74, 80 and 78.  Playing as an individual, redshirt freshman Trey Tesiero finished tied for 69^th with a 229 score on rounds of 72, 74 and 73. 
 
Not only was there a tie for the team title, but also for the individual title as Lynn's Alejandro Madariaga fired 67s in the final two rounds to move up three spots to the top spot with Lee's Beck Burnette (67-70-69).  Burnette won the playoff on three extra holes over Madariaga.  Nova Southeastern's Josep Serra and Michael Hay finished third and fourth, respectively, with a 207 and 208.  Embry-Riddle's Ian Aldarondo finished fifth with a 210 score.  In all 30 of 99 players finished par or better and 26 finished under par.  
 
With renewed momentum, the Blazers return home to host the First Federal Southeastern Collegiate, Mar. 14-15 at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta.