Mulhern, Collias help Malvern Prep earn a sweep at Waynesborough, move into first place in the Inter-Ac

   It might have been a dreary day to play golf Thursday with much cooler temperatures, clouds and occasional rain and drizzle, but Malvern Prep’s outlook in the Inter-Ac League race was decidedly sunny by the time the day was done.

   Playing host for the Malvern Prep Invitational -- mini-tournament No. 4 on the six-match league schedule -- at Waynesborough Country Club, the Friars finished atop the field and moved past two-time defending champion Haverford School into first place.

   Keller Mulhern and Dimitri Collias shared medalist honors for Malvern Prep, each carding a 1-over 36, as the Friars carded a solid 192 team total. A young Germantown Academy team finished five shots behind the Friars in second place with a 197 total.

   Haverford School and Episcopal Academy were another eight shots behind Germantown Academy in a tie for third place, each carding a 205 total. Penn Charter finished in fifth place with a 216 total and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy was sixth at 221.

Co-medalists, from left, Jacob Zeng, Dimitri Collias and Keller Mulhern

   That leaves Malvern Prep at the top of the Inter-Ac heap with a 16-3-1 mark as the Friars seek their first league title since their 2015 team dominated with a 29-0-1 run through the six invitationals. Haverford School, which had rolled to wins in the first two invitationals this season, and Episcopal Academy are tied for second place at 13-5-2.

   Germantown Academy’s strong showing moved the Patriots into fourth place with an 8-12 mark. Penn Charter and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy are tied for fifth place, each coming in at 3-17.

   Backing up Mulhern and Collias for Malvern Prep were a trio of players, Henry Fish, James Gradisek and Dylan O’Connor, each of whom carded a solid 40.

   Germantown Academy was led by sophomore Luke Marvin, who posted a 3-over 38. Sophomore Seth Roth and freshman Serena Bagga each added a 4-over 39, junior Collin McDonald signed for a 40 and senior Eric Lafond came in with a 42.

   A runnerup finish in one of these Inter-Ac invitationals might be a high-water mark for the Germantown Academy program since the league moved its season from spring to fall and adopted the invitational format to decide the league championship.

   Sharing overall medalist honors for the day while leading the way for Episcopal Academy was senior co-captain Jacob Zeng, who fired a 1-over 36. Zeng topped the Inter-Ac’s individual points race in 2018.

   Backing up Zeng for the Churchmen were three players, eighth-grader Jack Yearly, junior Shane Lawler and senior Eric Dzwoncyzk, each of whom posted a 42. The final Episcopal Academy counter was a 43 carded by junior Augie Reilly.

   Tyler Zimmer led the way for The Haverford School with a 3-over 38. Jake Maddaloni added a 40 and Ed Trumphour posted a solid 41.

   Penn Charter was led by junior Patrick Isztwan, winner of the Bert Linton individual league crown as a freshman in 2017 who carded a 3-over 38.

   The round kept Isztwan atop the regular-season individual points race with 353 points. Haverford School’s Zimmer and Maddaloni are second and third with respective totals of 346 and 338. Malvern Prep’s Mulhern is fourth at 326 and defending points winner Zeng of Episcopal Academy rounds out the top five in fifth at 298.

   Patrick Isztwan’s older brother Brian, a sophomore at Harvard, was the regular-season points winner in his last two seasons at Penn Charter in 2016 and 2017.