DADE CITY, Fla. – Michelle Ruiz couldn't have drawn up a much better start to the Saint Leo Women's Golf Invitational on Monday. The senior fired a bogey-free round of five-under 67, lifting Nova Southeastern to an early nine-stroke advantage over three other teams.

INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT:
Tournament Standing: 1st of 10 teams
Tournament Leader: Nova Southeastern
Location: Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club | Dade City, Fla.
Par/Yardage: 72/6,007 yards
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The only team in red numbers following round one, the Sharks posted a collective two-under 286 to set the pace throughout the 10-team field. Tampa, Saint Leo and Florida Tech each find themselves in a three-way tie for second at seven over.
• Ruiz started strong with a pair of birdies on her first five holes and carried that momentum throughout the entire day. Her round of 67 has jolted her into second overall, trailing only Tilda Larsson of Barry. Ruiz's scoring average of 3.70 on the Par=4's was tied for the best during round one.
• Although overshadowed by Ruiz's effort, Jamie Freedman turned in an impressive round of her own. The senior shook off three consecutive bogeys to begin the morning, and got back to two over at the turn before playing a bogey-free back nine that featured three birdies. At one under for the tournament, Freedman currently sits tied for third.
• Earning the top spot in the lineup following a Top-10 finish at last week's GolfRank Invitational, Sofia Garcia Austt opened with a round of one-over 73 to grab a share of 12^th. Sophie Madden wrapped up the first round tied for 20^th at three over.
• A round one score of five-over 77 has Janelle Johnson tied for 30^th.

STATS OF THE DAY:

• Nova Southeastern cashed in on the Par-5's on Monday, combining to shoot a first-round best four under on such holes.
• Freedman and Ruiz tallied five birdies apiece in the first round, tied for third-most among the field.
• Hole No. 18 played the toughest in the first round with a scoring average of +0.63 above par.

 
BEYOND THE SCORECARD:

• Nova Southeastern and Florida Tech are the only two teams with two players currently among the Top-3 on the leaderboard.
• The Sharks' round of 286 is their second lowest single-round total this season.

 
UP NEXT:
Paired with Saint Leo and Tampa, NSU will tee off the final round from Lake Jovita at 10:10 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning. For live scoring, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.