The Jaguars, ranked 72nd in the United States, beat five top-50 teams, including ninth ranked Duke, and were beaten only by top-30 teams as Florida, ranked 18th, cruised home at 20-under par 820 for the team title. No.15 Florida State (832) took second with Mississippi State (842) third and the University of Alabama at Birmingham fourth (844).

Caldwell opened strongly in the 54 hole tournament with rounds of 68 and 69 but slipped down the final leaderboard with a final round 76, the third man home in his team.

“Obviously, I am proud of the guys, as the greens were difficult today, but they really closed well,” head coach Ben Hannan said. “The depth of this field shows that we can play with anyone and lets us know that we can play nationally.”

Also playing at the weekend was Westport, Mayo’s Cathal O’Malley, a sophomore at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, alma mater of Graeme McDowell. He was fifth and final scoring member of his team, finishing the tournament in a tie for 53rd on the individual leaderboard.

While Caldwell gears up for his collegiate swansong Jaguars head coach Hannan has ensured there will continue to be an Irishman on the squad after his departure after signing 2007 Ulster Boys runner-up Garth Boyd on a scholarship starting this September.

Boyd, from Donaghadee, Co Down, was a member of the 2007 Ireland Home Internationals team, winning five times as the Irish took second place.

“We are very excited about Garth joining our programme next fall,” Hannan said. “He is a very talented player with a strong work ethic who has enjoyed a lot of success at the international level. I expect him to make an immediate impact on the team and add depth to our young and talented roster.”

Boyd was also a member of the Nick Faldo Junior Series and the Darren Clarke Foundation Teams.

The Irish are also represented on the South Alabama women’s team with Shirley Harvey of Ballyclare, Co. Antrim, resuming her junior, third-year campaign in Kinder, Louisiana at the Koasati Pines Collegiate Classic.

Harvey and her teammates understandably thought they had won the event when tournament staff declared them winners but it was only after they had boarded a flight home that officials discovered they had misread the scoreboard and Florida International were the true champions, by a single stroke, 920 to USA’s 921.

Individually, Harvey enjoyed the highest placing of her collegiate career to date, finishing in a tie for ninth on 13-over-par 229, seven shots behind winner Cristina Marin of Florida International.