Drexel makes it 4-for-4 for the fall with a victory in the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate behind individual champion Nicholas

 

   Drexel, behind an individual title from Drue Nicholas, a senior from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., completed a sweep of the four tournaments on its fall schedule by claiming the team crown in the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate, which wrapped up Tuesday at Kilmaric Golf Club in Powell’s Point, N.C.

   Two of Drexel’s victories this fall have come close to home as the Dragons captured the title in the Temple Invitational at The 1912 Club and in the City 6 Championship, a one-day shootout at Sunnybrook Golf Club.

   In between those two wins, Drexel, which plays out of the Coastal Athletic Association, finished first in the J.T. Poston Invitational at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley in Sapphire, N.C. Last week the Dragons were back in the Tar Heel state and made it 4-for-4 for the fall portion of the 2023-2024 season with a 13-shot victory over host Old Dominion.

   Drexel had taken control of the team chase with a solid 1-over-par 285 in second round and then pulled away from the field with a solid 5-under 279, the best team round of the tournament, in the final round. The Dragons, who had posted a 6-over 290 in the opening round Oct. 22^nd, finished with a 2-over 854 total.

   And for the third straight fall, it was Nicholas leading the way on a 6,563-yard, par-71 Kilmaric layout that is clearly a good fit for his game. Nicholas, a product of St. Augustine Prep, was the individual champion in the ODU/OBX Invitational two years ago and was the runnerup last year.

   Nicholas returned to the winner’s circle for the second time in three tries at Kilmaric. After matching par with a 71 in the opening round, Nicholas, winner of the Patterson Cup, a Golf Association of Philadelphia major championship, two summers ago, tallied a sparkling 4-under 67 in the second round before closing with a 2-under 69 for a 6-under 207 total.

   Nicholas’ closest pursuer was Drexel teammate Grifin Mitchell, a senior from New Albany, Ohio who earned runnerup honors in the individual chase with a 4-under 209 total that left him two shots behind Nicholas.

   Mitchell opened with a solid 3-under 68, matched par in the second round with a 71 and contributed a 1-under 70 to the final-round surge by the Dragons.

   Old Dominion, playing out of the Sun Belt Conference, entered the final round in a tie for second place with East Carolina after the Monarchs added a 10-over 294 in the second round to their opening round of 5-over 289.

   Old Dominion matched par in the final round with a 284 to earn runnerup honors with a 15-over 867 total that left it 13 shots behind Drexel.

   Southern Illinois Edwardsville also matched par in the final round with a 284 to finish a shot behind Old Dominion in third place with a 16-over 868 total. The Cougars, an Ohio Valley Conference representative, had opened with a 4-over 288 before slipping back a little with a 296 in the second round.

   East Carolina, playing out of the American Athletic Conference, closed with a 4-over 288 to finish three shots behind SIUE in fourth place with a 19-over 871 total. After opening with a solid 3-over 287, the Pirates fell back a little with a 296 in the second round.

   It was another nine shots back to Big South rivals Longwood and Radford as they finished in a tie for fifth place, each landing on 28-over 880.

   The Lancers closed with a solid 2-over 286 after they had opened with a 9-over 293 before struggling to a 309 in the second round. The Highlanders opened with a 7-over 291 and added a 296 in the second round before closing with a 293.

   Nice showing by another City 6 entry as La Salle finished six shots behind Longwood and Radford in seventh place with a 34-over 886 total. The Explorers, playing out of the Atlantic 10, struggled in the opening round with a 301, but improved after that, adding a 294 in the second round before finishing up with a 7-over 291.

   La Salle’s City 6 and A-10 rival Saint Joseph’s finished 13^th in the 15-team field with a 70-over 922 total. The Hawks couldn’t break the 300 mark at Kilmaric as they opened with a 302 and added a 316 in the second round before closing with a 304.

   Backing up Nicholas and Mitchell for Drexel was Caleb Taylor, a sophomore from Woodbine, Md. who finished alone in 21^st place with a 7-over 220 total. After opening with a 76, Taylor registered a solid 1-under 70 in the second round before finishing up with a 3-over 74.

   Graduate student Liam Hart, the 2017 PIAA Class AAA champion as a junior at Holy Ghost Prep, came up huge for the Dragons with a final round of 2-under 69 to finish in the group tied for 22^nd place with an 8-over 221 total. Hart had opened with a counting 4-over 75 before adding a 77 in the second round.

   Rounding out the Drexel lineup was Oscar Maxfield, a graduate student from Salt Lake City, Utah who contributed an even-par 71 to the Dragons’ strong finish in the final round to end up in the group tied for 35^th place with a 12-over 225 total. Maxfield had carded back-to-back 6-over 77s in the first two rounds.

   SIU Edwardsville’s T.J. Baker, a senior from Rockland, Ill., and Radford’s Bryce Corbett, a senior from Gainesville, Va., finished in a tie for third place in the individual standings, each ending up three shots behind Drexel’s Mitchell at 1-under 212.

   After opening with a solid 3-under 68, Baker posted a 4-over 75 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 71. Corbett was only a shot behind Nicholas going into the final round after adding a 1-under 70 to his opening round of 2-under 69 before finishing up with a 2-over 73.

   Baker’s SIU Edwardsville teammate Brady Kaufmann, a sophomore from Jacksonville, N.C., finished alone in fifth place with a 1-over 214 total. After opening with a solid 3-under 68, Kaufmann cooled off with a 4-over 75 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   East Carolina’s Carter Busse, a junior from Davidson, N.C., finished a shot behind Kaufmann in sixth place with a 2-over 215 total. After opening with a 1-under 70, Busse added a 2-over 73 in the second round before closing with a 72.

   Two of Busse’s East Carolina teammates, Lucas Augustsson, a sophomore from Sweden, and Philip Linberg Bondestad, a sophomore from Norway, were part of a quartet of players tied for seventh place at 3-over 216.

   Augustsson added a 3-over 74 in the second round to his opening-round 73 before closing with a solid 2-under 69. Linberg Bondestad sandwiched a 5-over 76 in the second round with a pair of 1-under 70s.

   Rounding out the foursome at 3-over were Longwood’s Justin LaRue, a junior from South Chesterfield, Va., and Old Dominion’s Kazuki Yamauchi, a senior from Japan.

   LaRue matched the low round of the tournament in the final round with a 4-under 67. He had opened with a 1-over 72 before adding a 77 in the second round. Yamauchi also finished strong with a 2-under 69 after adding a 2-over 73 in the second round to his opening-round 74.

   Leading the way for La Salle was Gavin Dosch, a freshman from Draper, Utah who matched par in the final round with a 71 to finish in the group tied for 15^th place with a 5-over 218 total. Dosch had opened with a 3-over 74 before adding a 73 in the second round.

   Backing up Dosch for the Explorers were graduate student Nikita Romanov, a product of Delaware’s Mount Pleasant High, and Ben Battye, a sophomore from Torrance, Calif., both of whom landed among the group tied for 17^th place at 6-over 219.

   Romanov bounced from an opening-round 78 with a sparkling 3-under 68 in the second round before finishing up with a 2-over 73. Battye sandwiched a 4-over 75 in the second round with a pair of 2-over 72s.

   Rounding out the La Salle lineup were sophomore Kevin Lydon, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior at Central Bucks West in 2021, and junior Alex Gekas, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Central York in 2019, both of whom were in the group tied for 53^rd place at 232.

   After opening with a 6-over 77, Lydon recorded a 79 in the second round before finishing up with a 76. Gekas added a 7-over 78 in the second round to his opening-round 79 before closing with a 75.

   Leading the way for Saint Joseph’s was sophomore Christian Matt, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Wissahickon who posted a solid 2-under 69 in the final round to finished among the group tied for 17^th place with a 6-over 219 total. Matt tallied back-to-back 4-over 75s in the first two rounds.

   Backing up Matt for the Hawks were sophomore Matt Zerfass, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Emmaus, and junior Tommy Larkin, who starred scholastically at Cardinal O’Hara, as each landed in the group tied for 56^th place at 233.

   After opening with a 5-over 76, Zerfass added an 80 in the second round before closing with a 77. Larkin added an 80 in the second round to his opening-round 76 before finishing up with a 77.

   Senior Kevin Smith, who led Strath Haven to Central League and District One Class AAA titles as a senior in 2019, opened with a 4-over 75 before struggling with back-to-back 81s in the last two rounds as he finished in the group tied for 62^nd place with a 237 total.

   Rounding out the St. Joe’s lineup was freshman Noah Moelter, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior at Central Bucks South a year ago who finished in 73^rd place with a 247 total. Moelter carded a pair of 81s in the first two rounds before closing with an 85.

   Strong showing at Kilmaric for Robert Morris fifth-year player Alex Seelig, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Exeter and a regular in the Stonewall caddyshack in the summer. Seelig added a 1-under 70 in the second round to his opening round of 1-over 72 before closing with a 75 that left him in the group tied for 11^th place with a 4-over 217 total.

   Robert Morris, which plays out of the Horizon League, finished in ninth place in the team standings with a 37-over 889 total.

   Another fifth-year player for the Colonials, Logan Hess, who starred scholastically at Penn Manor, finished in the group tied for 32^nd place with a 10-over 224 total as he added a 4-over 75 in the second round to his opening-round 76 before closing with a 73.

   Another fifth-year Robert Morris entry, Parker Johnson, a scholastic standout at Peters Township, finished in 72^nd place with a 244 total as he struggled to an 87 in the second round after opening with a 7-over 78 before closing with a 79.

   Navy was led by sophomore Jack Tarzy, a product of The Hun School of Princeton who finished among the group tied for 25^th place with a 9-over 222 total. After opening with a 4-over 75, Tarzy got a little better in each round, adding a 74 in the second round before closing with a 73.

   The Midshipmen, a Patriot League entry, finished in 14^th place in the team standings, 11 shots behind Saint Joseph’s with a 933 total.