Rhode Island captures title in Wildcat Fall Invitational, host Villanova finishes third at Radnor Valley

    Rhode Island completed its tour of the Philadelphia area with a four-shot team victory in last week’s Wildcat Fall Invitational, hosted by Villanova at Radnor Valley Country Club along Route 320 a few miles south of its Main Line campus.

   Coming off a runnerup finish in the Cornell/Temple Fall Invitational at The 1912 Club in nearby Plymouth Township, Rhode Island, which plays out of the Atlantic 10 Conference, closed with a solid round of 7-over 287 over the 6,572-yard, par-70 Radnor Valley layout in Tuesday’s final round to rally past Fairleigh Dickinson with an 11-over 851 total.

   The Rams were led by Brandon Gillis, a fifth-year player from Nashua, N.H., and Bryson Richards, a senior from Plainfield, Vt., as they finished in third and fourth place, respectively, in the individual standings.

   Gillis, coming off a runnerup finish in the individual chase in the Cornell/Temple Fall Invitational, closed with a 1-under 69 to take third place with a 2-under 208 total that was eight shots behind individual champion Brett Reid, a Liberty sophomore from Spicer, Minn. who was competing as an individual and dominated the Radnor Valley layout to the tune of a 10-under 200 total.

   Gillis had opened with a 1-over 71 before adding a 2-under 68 in Monday’s double round.

   Richards opened with a 2-under 68, added a 1-over 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round and matched par in the final round with a 70 to finish a shot behind Gillis in fourth place with a 1-under 209 total.

   Fairleigh Dickinson had a three-shot lead over Rhode Island entering Tuesday’s final round after the Knights, out of the Northeast Conference, opened with a 1-under 279 and added a 2-over 282 in Monday afternoon’s second round. Fairleigh Dickinson finished up with a 294 to end up in second place with a 15-over 855 total.

   Fairleigh Dickinson was led by Jaime Julve, a graduate student from Spain who was the runnerup to Reid with a 3-under 207 total. Julve held a two-shot advantage over Reid following Monday’s double round as he opened with the best round of the tournament, a 5-under 65, before adding a 3-under 67 in the afternoon second round. Julve struggled to a 75 in the final round to finish seven shots behind the individual champion.

   It was another 11 shots back to host Villanova in third place with a 26-over 866 total as the Wildcats, out of the Big East Conference, opened with a 7-over 287, added a 291 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 288.

   Villanova was led by Ryan Pamer, a freshman from Hudson, Ohio who finished alone in fifth place with an even-par 210 total. It was the second straight strong showing by Pamer to open his career at Villanova as he was the runnerup in the individual standings in the season-opening Alex Lagowitz Memorial, hosted by Colgate over the Labor Day weekend at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y.

   Pamer added a 2-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 72 before matching par in the final round with a 70.

   It was 11 more shots behind Villanova back to Bryant, an America East Conference representative, in fourth place as the Bulldogs finished with a 37-over 877 total. After struggling to a 299 in the opening round, Bryant improved with back-to-back 9-over 289s in the final two rounds.

   Hofstra, out of the Colonial Athletic Association, finished in fifth place with an 899 total as the Pride opened with a 292, but struggled to a 304 in Monday afternoon’s second round and to a 303 in Tuesday’s final round.

   Rounding out the six-team field was St. Peter’s, a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference entry, as the Peacocks finished in sixth place with a 914 total. St. Peter’s added a 299 in Monday afternoon’s second round to its opening-round 298 before struggling to a 317 in Tuesday’s final round.

   Backing up Gillis and Richards for Rhode Island were Aidan O’Donovan, a freshman from Somerville, Mass., and Geronimo Narizzano, a junior from Argentina, as they finished in a tie for 12^th place, each landing on 8-over 218.

   O’Donovan added a solid 1-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 74 before closing with a 75. Narizzano matched par in the opening round with a 70, added a 75 in Monday afternoon’s second round and finished up with a 3-over 73 in the final round.

   Rounding out the Rhode Island lineup was redshirt freshman Chuck Tragresser, the PIAA Class AAA runnerup in 2020 as a senior at Franklin Regional. Tragresser gave the Rams a third finisher inside the top 17 as he finished in a tie for 17^th place with a 12-over 222 total. After opening with a 3-over 73, Tragresser added a 74 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 75.

   Nobody could keep up with blistering pace of Liberty’s Reid. The Flames, an ASUN Conference power that has reached the NCAA Championship as a team three seasons in a row, didn’t send their whole team to Radnor Valley, but Reid certainly represented for his program.

   Reid carded a pair of 3-under 67s in Monday’s double round and trailed Fairleigh Dickinson’s Julve by two shots heading into Tuesday’s final round. But Reid was even better in the final round, closing with a sparkling 4-under 66 to cruise to a seven-shot victory with a 10-under 200 total.

   Julve’s Fairleigh Dickinson teammate, Leon Heitz, a sophomore from Germany, finished alone in sixth place, a shot behind Villanova’s Pamer with a 1-over 211 total. After opening with a 1-under 69, Heitz matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 70 before closing with a 2-over 72.

   Reid’s Liberty teammate Ike Joy, a sophomore from Denver, N.C., shared seventh place with Bryant’s Jack Woods, a senior from Danbury, Conn., each ending up with a 3-over 213 total.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 70, Joy added a 1-over 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 72. After opening with a 3-over 73, Woods matched par in each of the last two rounds with back-to-back 70s.

   Pyae Phyo Thu, a sophomore from Myanmar, gave Fairleigh Dickinson a third finisher in the top nine as he finished alone in ninth place, matching par in the final round with a 70 for a 5-over 215 total. Thu opened with a 2-over 72 before adding a 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   Peter Weaver, a junior from Frontenac, Mo., gave Villanova a second finisher inside the top 10 as he finished alone in 10^th place with a 6-over 216 total. After opening with a 71, Weaver carded back-to-back 2-over 72s in the final two rounds.

   Backing up Pamer and Weaver for Villanova was Josh Lavely, a freshman from Kewadin, Mich. who finished in a tie for 20^th place with a 224 total. After opening with a 78, Lavely carded back-to-back 3-over 73s.

   Jason Lohwater, a graduate student from Rochester, N.Y., and Vimal Alokam, a sophomore from Ypsilanti, Mich., finished among the group tied for 25^th place at 227. Lohwater opened with a solid 1-over 71, but struggled to a 77 in Monday afternoon’s second round and to a 79 in Tuesday’s final round. Alokam struggled in the second round with an 81, but sandwiched that with a pair of 3-over 73s.

   Villanova had a six-man team for its Wildcat Fall Invitational and Kyle Kinnane, a graduate student from Anaheim Hills, Calif., rounded out the lineup as he finished alone in 31^st place with a 230 total. Kinnane struggled in Monday’s double round, adding a 79 in the afternoon to his opening-round 77, but he closed with a solid 4-over 74.

   Villanova head coach Jim Wilkes took advantage of his host role at Radnor Valley to send out a couple more players to compete as individuals and both made a case for a spot in the starting lineup as Matt Minerva, a senior from Elmsford, N.Y., finished in the group tied for 14^th place with a 220 total and Luke Alexander, a senior from Rochester, Minn., finished in a tie for 15^th place with a 221 total.

   After opening with a 78, Minerva recorded a solid 1-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round and finished up with a 3-over 73. Alexander was solid in Monday’s double round, matching par with a 70 in the afternoon after opening with a 3-over 73. Alexander closed with a 78.

   Also competing as an individual for Liberty was freshman Evan Barbin, the third of the Barbin brothers from Elkton, Md. to play for the Flames. Barbin opened with a 75, but struggled a little with a 78 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with his best round of the tournament, a 4-over 74, to finish among the group tied for 25^th place with a 227 total.