HERSHEY, Pa. --- The Moravian College golf team turned in the best team round of the day with a 317 as the Greyhounds remained in third place after the first spring and third overall round of the 2016-17 Empire 8 Conference Championships played at the Hershey Country Club Friday.

The Hounds' 317 gives the squad a 54-hole team score of 967, moving within eight strokes of second place Stevens Institute of Technology, which has a 959. St. John Fisher College holds down the top spot after three rounds with a 929-team score.

Moravian junior Tyler Smith turned in the lowest card of all of the golfers in the tournament in the third round a three-over par round of 74 on Friday that included one birdie and 13 pars. Smith finished three strokes ahead of the field in the third round and has a 54-hole total of 228, just one stroke off of the leader Karl Deuble of St. John Fisher heading into Saturday's final round.

Senior Dan Leppert was tied for sixth on Saturday with a round of 79 on a card that included a pair of birdies and eight pars. Leppert sits in eighth place heading to the final round with a total of 243 after three rounds. Sophomore Kody Long carded a 81 on Friday with a birdie and seven pars as he moved into a tie for 11th after 54 holes with a 247 while junior Kevin Kunkle had an 83 on Friday with nine pars, and he is in 15th place heading to the final round with a 252.

Sophomore Joe Rochelle fired an 88 in the third round with seven pars and sits in a tie for 21st of the 37 golfers that have played all three rounds with a total of 260. Freshman Nick Kuhn played his first round of the tournament for the Greyhounds on Friday and also shot an 88 with five pars as he tied for 26th among the 47 golfers in the third round.

Moravian will close out the 2016-17 Empire 8 Conference Championships on Saturday, April 15 with the final round at the Hershey Country Club.