Another strong showing by Nicholas at ODU/OBX Intercollegiate leads Drexel to third-place finish

   Drexel’s Drue Nicholas, a junior from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., returned to the scene of his bustout victory in last year’s ODU/OBX Intercollegiate at Kilmaric Golf Club in Powells Point, N.C. this week.

   Although Nicholas, winner of the Patterson Cup, a Golf Association of Philadelphia major championship, at St. Davids Golf Club in August, didn’t repeat at Kilmaric, his runnerup finish led the Dragons to a solid third-place finish behind a couple of Midwest invaders in the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate, which wrapped up Tuesday.

   Nicholas, a junior phenom at the Jersey Shore who was a scholastic standout at St. Augustine Prep, once again found the par-71 Kilmaric layout to his liking. He opened with a 2-under 69 in Sunday’s first round, matched that total in Monday’s second round and did that one better in Tuesday’s final round with a 3-under 68 for a 7-under 206 total.

   That left Nicholas three shots behind North Dakota State’s Nate Adams, a junior from Maple Grove, Minn. who was a wire-to-wire winner with a 10-under 203 total. Adams ripped off back-to-back 5-under 66s in the first two rounds before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Adams led the Bison, a Summit League representative, to their third win of the fall portion of the wraparound 2022-2023 campaign.

   It looks like Kilmaric was at its toughest for Monday’s opening round and North Dakota State survived with a 3-over 287. The Bison maintained their lead with a 6-under 278 in Monday’s second round and closed with a second straight 278 for a 14-under 838 total that left them seven shots clear of runnerup Southern Illinois at Edwardsville.

   SIU-Edwardsville, playing out of the Ohio Valley Conference, struggled a little in the opening round with a 14-over 298. The Cougars bounced back with a 10-under 274 in Monday’s second round before doing that one better in the final round with an 11-under 273 for a 7-under 206 total.

   It’s been a solid fall for Drexel, which was coming off a fourth-place finish in its trip out west at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational at Sonoma Golf Club in the wine country of Northern California.

   After struggling a little in the opening round at Kilmaric with an 11-over 295, Drexel matched par in the second round with a 284 before equaling the second-best single round in program history with the best team round of the tournament, a 12-under 272, in the final round. That left the Colonial Athletic Association representative in third place, six shots behind SIU-Edwardsville with a 1-under 851 total.

   It was another 16 shots back to Longwood, a Big South representative, in fourth place as the Lancers finished with a 15-over 867 total. After opening with a 296, Longwood posted a 3-over 287 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 284.

   Georgetown, playing out of the Big East, was three shots behind Longwood in fifth place with an 18-over 870 total. The Hoyas matched par in Monday’s second round with a 284 after opening with a 294. They closed with an 8-over 292.

   Navy, a Patriot League entry, was another 10 shots behind Georgetown in sixth place with a 28-over 860 total. The Midshipmen opened with a 297, added a 294 in Monday’s second round and closed with their best round of the tournament, a 5-over 289.

   Atlantic 10 representative Saint Joseph’s finished a shot behind Navy in seventh place with a 29-over 881 total. After struggling to a 302 in the opening round, the Hawks bounced back with a 1-over 285 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a 294.

   A third City 6 team in the field, Villanova, another Big East entry, finished in a tie for 10^th place with Omaha in the 16-team field with a 34-over 886 total. The Wildcats matched the opening-round 302 posted by City 6 rival Saint Joe’s, added a 293 in Monday’s second round and closed with their best round of the tournament, a 7-over 291.

   Backing up Adams for North Dakota State were Gavin Cronkhite, a junior from Lakeville, Minn., and Ian Simonich, a sophomore from Moorhead, Minn., both of whom also recorded top-10 finishes.

   Cronkhite closed with a 1-over 70 after matching par in the first two rounds with a pair of 71s to finish alone in seventh place with a 1-under 212 total. Simonich finished strong with a final round of 3-under 68 to land among a group of four players tied for eighth place at even-par 213. Simonich had opened with a 73 before adding a 1-over 72 in Monday’s second round.

   Brock Winter, a junior from Stillwater, Minn., finished in a tie for 14^th place with a 2-over 215 total for the Bison as he bounced back from an opening-round 77 with back-to-back 2-under 69s in the final two rounds.

   Rounding out the North Dakota State lineup was Nate Deziel, a senior from East Grand Fords, Minn. who rattled off three straight 1-over 72s to finish in a tie for 16^th place with a 3-over 216 total.

   Georgetown’s Max Hutter, a sophomore from Weston, Mass., and SIU-Edwardsville’s Anthony Ruthey, a redshirt junior from Port Byron, Ill., finished in a tie for third place, each ending up two shots behind Drexel’s Nicholas at 5-under 208.

   Hutter matched par with a 71 in Monday’s second round after opening with a 70 and then closed with a sparkling 4-under 67. After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Ruthey put up a 4-under 67 of his own in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a solid 1-under 70.

   Radford’s Patrick Gareiss, a senior from Chesapeake, Va., finished alone in fifth place with a 3-under 210 total as he bounced back from an opening-round 75 with a sizzling 5-under 66 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 2-under 69.

   Longwood’s Nick Rakes, a junior from Evington, Va., finished alone in sixth place, a shot behind Gareiss with a 2-under 211 total. Rakes matched par in Monday’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 1-over 72 before closing with a solid 3-under 68.

   Drexel’s Griffin Mitchell, a senior from New Albany, Ohio, gave the Dragons a second finisher inside the top eight as he joined North Dakota State’s Simonich in the foursome tied for eighth place at even-par 213. Mitchell contributed a 2-under 69 to Drexel’s final-round surge. He had matched par in the opening round with a 71 before adding a 2-over 73 in Monday’s second round.

   Rounding out the quartet at even-par 213 were Navy’s Chip Deegan, a freshman from Newport Beach, Calif., and SIU-Edwardsville’s Alex Eickhoff, a sophomore from Hillsboro, Ill.

   After opening with a 2-over 73, Deegan matched par in Monday’s second round with a 71 before closing with a solid 2-under 69. Eickhoff struggled to a 77 in the opening round before finding his groove with a 2-under 69 in Monday’s second round and a sparkling 4-under 67 in the final round.

   Drexel got a strong showing from Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa, a senior from Zimbabwe as he posted back-to-back 2-under 69s in the final two rounds to finish in a tie for 18^th place with a 4-over 217 total. Nyamukondiwa had struggled in the opening round with an 8-over 79.

   Oscar Maxfield, a graduate student from Salt Lake City, Utah, closed with a sizzling 5-under 66 for the Dragons as he finished in the group tied for 41^st place with a 9-over 222 total. Maxfield, coming off a tie for fourth place in the Alister Mackenzie Invitational, had struggled in the first two rounds, adding a 76 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 80.

   Rounding out the Drexel lineup was senior Liam Hart, the 2017 PIAA Class AAA champion as a junior at Holy Ghost Prep who finished among the group tied for 44^th place with a 10-over 223 total. After opening with a 5-over 76, Hart recorded a 73 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a 74.

   Saint Joseph’s was led by sophomore Tommy Larkin, a former Cardinal O’Hara standout who had begun his college career at the University of the Sciences, which was absorbed by Saint Joseph’s. After opening with a 75, Larkin posted a sparkling 4-under 67 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 72 that left him in a tie for 12^th place with a 1-over 214 total.

   Freshman Christian Matt, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Wissahickon, sandwiched a sparkling 4-under 67 in Monday’s second round with a pair of 77s.

   Graduate student J.T. Spina, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Pope John Paul II, finished in the group tied for 44^th place with a 10-over 223 total for the Hawks. Spina opened with a solid 1-over 72, struggled to a 78 in Monday’s second round and closed with a 2-over 73.

   Another standout freshman, Keller Mulhern, who led the individual points race in the Inter-Ac League as a senior at Malvern Prep a year ago, closed with a solid 1-over 72 to finish among the group tied for 55^th place with a 226 total. Mulhern had struggled to a 78 in the opening round before adding a 5-over 76 in Monday’s second round.

   Rounding out the Saint Joseph’s lineup was Ryan Gorman, a junior from Greenville, S.C. who finished in a tie for 80^th place with a 242 total. Gorman couldn’t get it going in the opening round as he carded a 90 before bouncing back with a 4-over 75 in Monday’s second round and finishing up with a 77.

   Leading the way for Villanova was Ryan Pamer, a freshman from Hudson, Ohio, who has had an outstanding start to his college career this fall. Pamer finished in a tie for 16^th place with a 3-over 216 as he matched par in each of the final two rounds with a pair of 71s after opening with a 3-over 74.

   Peter Weaver, a junior from Frontenac, Mo., was also solid for the Wildcats as he finished in the group tied for 18^th place with a 4-over 217 total. Weaver matched par in Monday’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 1-over 72 and finished up with a 74.

   Jason Lohwater, a graduate student from Rochester, N.Y., closed with a solid 1-under 70 to land in the group tied for 27^th place a 6-over 219 total. Lohwater had opened with a 4-over 75 before adding a 74 in Monday’s second round.

   Kyle Kinnane, a graduate student from Anaheim Hills, Calif., finished in a tie for 75^th place with a 237 total as he added an 80 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 81 before closing with a 5-over 76.

   Rounding out the Villanova lineup was Josh Lavely, a freshman from Kewadin, Mich. who finished alone in 82^nd place. Lavely bounced back from an opening-round 86 with a 6-over 77 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with an 80.