The Kingsmill Intercollegiate at the Kingsmill Resort’s
River Course in Williamsburg, Va. proved to be a popular destination for teams
trying to get ready for their conference championships later this spring.
There were 24 teams and more than 120 players teeing it up
and Saint Joseph’s and Drexel, separated by a shot, got in the top half of the
field, the Hawks finishing ninth and the Dragons ending up tied for 10th
with George Washington. Drexel’s Colonial Athletic Association rival, Delaware,
finished 15th.
St. Joe’s, led by freshman Wills Montgomery, a former
Downingtown East standout, was consistent with a pair of 16-over 286s Sunday
and Monday over the 6,794-yard, par-70 River Course layout before finishing up
with an 18-over 298 for a 50-over 890 total.
Drexel was playing without senior Aaron Fricke, the Garden
Spot product who claimed the individual title in the City 6 Championship at the
Union League Golf Club at Torresdale last fall. The Dragons opened with a 301
and added a 292 before matching St. Joe’s 298 final round to finish a shot
behind the Hawks at 891.
Delaware got a little better in each round, the Blue Hens
opening with a 301 and adding a 298 before finishing up with a 296 for an 898
total.
Williamsburg was not quite far enough south to avoid the
stubborn grip that winter has had on the Mid-Atlantic region as cold-weather
gear was in order.
Southern Illinois, No. 122 in the latest Golfstat rankings, captured the team
title behind individual winner Peyton Wilhoit, a junior from Searcy, Ariz.
After opening with a 293, the Salukis fired a 4-over 284 Monday’s second round
and finished up with a 5-over 285 to overtake No. 154 Utah Valley with a
22-over 862 total.
Utah Valley held a narrow one-shot edge on Southern Illinois
going into the final round after rounds of 7-over 287 and 9-over 289. Utah
Valley’s final-round 290 enabled the Salukis to make up five shots in the final
round.
No. 141 Loyola of Maryland finished up with an 8-over 288 to
take thirds at 869, three shots behind Utah Valley. It was another six shots
back to No. 168 Seton Hall in fourth at 875, the Pirates finishing up with
their best round of the week, a 6-over 286. No. 152 Old Dominion also finished
up with its best round of the week, a 9-over 289, to take fifth at 877, two
shots behind the Hall.
After opening with a 4-over-par 74, Wilhoit got it going
with a 2-under 68 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a sparkling
4-under 66, the best round of the tournament, in Tuesday’s final round for a
2-under 208 total and a three-shot margin over the rest of the field.
Wilhoit was backed up by teammate Hunter York, a junior from
Decatur, Ill. who finished in a group tied for seventh at 5-over 215. York
contributed a 1-under 69 to the Salukis’ final-round surge to the team title.
Also for Southern Illinois, Frankie Thomas snuck into the
top 20 as he finished tied for 19th at 9-over 219 following a final
round of 74. Luke Gannon, a junior from Bel Aire, Kan., finished tied for 30th
at 222, including an even-par 70 in the second round. Dirk Kuehler, a senior
from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., finished in a group tied for 90th at
232, although his 3-over 73, a 10-shot improvement on an opening-round 83, was
a key counter for the Salukis in the second round.
Loyola of Maryland’s Brendan Peel, a sophomore from Potomac,
Md., and St. Bonaventure’s Brent Morgan, a junior from Coal Grove, Ohio, shared
second place at 1-over 211, three shots behind Wilhoit.
After opening with a 1-over 71, Peel matched par in each of
the last two rounds. Morgan finished up with one of what was only a handful of
sub-par rounds over the River Course, a 1-under 69.
Old Dominion senior Brad Hess, a product of Parkland High
School, finished alone in fourth at 2-over 212. Hess held a one-shot lead
heading into the final round after opening with a 2-under 68 and adding a 72 in
Monday’s second round before finishing up with another 2-over 72.
The chilly weather didn’t seem to bother a couple of
Canadians as Utah Valley senior Blair Bursey and Eastern Michigan freshman Ty
Celone shared fifth place at 3-over 213, both finishing up with a solid 1-under
69.
Montgomery posted a pair of 2-over 72s in the first two
rounds before finishing up with a 75 for a 9-over 219 as he led the way for
Saint Joseph’s by finishing tied for 19th. Michael O’Brien, a
sophomore from West Chester, Ohio, bounced back from an opening-round 80 by
matching par in the second round with a 70 and then finishing up with a 73 to
join the group tied for 35th at 223.
Sophomore Reed Winkler, a former Salesianum standout, got a
piece of the opening-round lead with a sparkling 2-under 68 before struggling
to an 80 in Monday’s second round and finishing up with a 76 to end up in a
group tied for 43rd at 224.
Junior Ross Pilliod, a Berks Catholic product (and occasional
Stonewall looper), finished tied for 72nd at 229 after his best
round of the tournament, a 4-over 74, in Tuesday’s final round. Sophomore
Richard Riva, a Lancaster Catholic product, rounded out the St. Joe’s lineup as
he finished among the group tied for 90th at 232 after a final-round 77.
The Hawks appear on track to perhaps improve on their 11th-place
finish in the Atlantic 10 Championship last spring.
In the absence of Fricke, Drexel was led by sophomore Connor
Schmidt, a member of Peters Township’s 2015 PIAA Class AAA runnerup team who
finished in the group tied for 30th at 12-over 222. After opening up
with 79, Schmidt posted solid rounds of 71 and 72.
Sophomore Alex Butler, a member of the 2014 PIAA Class AAA
championship team as a junior at St. Joseph’s Prep, finished in a group tied
for 35th at 223. Butler sandwiched a 73 in Monday’s second round
with a pair of 75s. Adam Mistretta, a senior from Livermore, Calif., finished
tied for 43rd at 224 after adding a final-round 76 to a pair of 74s.
Angelo Giantsopou, a freshman from Canada who qualified for
match play in last summer’s U.S. Junior Amateur at Flint Hills National Golf
Club in Andover, Kan., finished in a group tied for 51st at 226
after a final-round 75. Rounding out the Dragons’ lineup was Jeffrey
Cunningham, a freshman from West Palm Beach, Fla. who finished tied for 101st
at 233, although his opening-round 76 was a counter for Drexel.
Leading the way for Delaware was
senior Blaine Lafferty, a former Cherokee High standout who finished tied for
16th at 8-over 218. After opening with a 75, Lafferty had solid
rounds of 71 and 72 Monday and Tuesday.
Jack Gianniny, senior from
Pittsford, N.Y., and Christian Chapman, a freshman from Victor, N.Y., both
landed in the group tied for 66th at 228. Gianniny carded a
final-round 76 while Chapman finished up with a 74.
Sophomore Jack Melville, a former
Upper Dublin standout, finished tied for 72nd at 229 after
sandwiching an 81 with a pair of 74s. Rounding out the Delaware lineup was
Kieran Purcell, a senior from Jersey City, N.J. who finished in the group tied
for 90th at 232 after a final-round 78.
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