Behind a sparkling 3-under-par 33 from junior Freddy Hartmann, Episcopal Academy swept the field in the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Invitational Tuesday at Sunnybrook Golf Club to capture the Inter-Ac League crown, the Churchmen’s first since 2016.
Hartmann was the individual medalist for the day and that enabled him to jump to the top of the heap in the individual points list compiled during the six invitationals that comprise the Inter-Ac’s regular season.
The team chase had been incredibly tight through the first five invitationals among Episcopal Academy, Malvern Prep and two-time defending champion Haverford School.
A first-place finish Tuesday at Sunnybrook for either the Churchmen or the Friars would give either the title and Episcopal Academy, under head coach Doug Borgerson, responded with a 6-over 186 total. Malvern Prep was five shots behind the Churchmen in second place with a 191 total. Haverford School, with only a long-shot chance of winning a third straight Inter-Ac crown, finished in third place with a 197.
Backing up Hartmann for Episcopal was Carson Jakuc, another junior, as he carded a 1-over 37. Will Krietsch, one of EA’s senior co-captains, added a 2-over 38.
Juniors Liam Crowley, Connor Smolenski and Arthur Hampel each tallied a 3-over 39 with Episcopal needing just two of those scores to account for its final two counters.
Episcopal finished with a 23-3-3 mark to claim the Inter-Ac title. Malvern Prep was the runnerup at 22-4-4 followed by Haverford School with a 21-7-2 mark. All those ties are indicative of just how close this race was.
Malvern Prep was led by senior Noah Brand as he matched par with a 36. Junior Colby Komancheck backed up Brand with a 2-over 38.
The rest of the Friars’ five counters came from among the group of senior captains Davis Crowley, Pat Duda and Thomas Ploszay as well as juniors Ayden Gallen and Timmy Burns, all of whom posted a 3-over 39.
Komancheck and Conaway finished in second and third place, respectively, in the final individual points list, just a shot apart.
Hartmann’s heroics Tuesday at Sunnybrook left him at the top of the list with 489 points followed by Komancheck with 481 points and Conaway with 480.
Haverford School was led by junior Harry Neilly as he signed for a 1-over 37. Senior Nicky Nemo and junior Liam McFadden backed up Neilly, each registering a 3-over 39.
Rounding out the counters for the Fords were juniors Quinn Gallagher and Jack Luterman, both of whom carded a 41.
It was a disappointing day for Haverford School senior Sean Currah, who had vaulted to the top of the regular-season individual points list by claiming medalist honors in last week’s Haverford School Invitational at Gulph Mills Golf Club. Curran had claimed the title in the individual points race a year ago.
But Curran, who will join the program at Penn in the Ivy League at the end of next summer, struggled to a 43 at Sunnybrook to fall back to fourth place in the final points list with 466 points.
Curran, a Merion Golf Club member who captured the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship at Merion’s West Course in the summer, will defend his title in the Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac’s individual title this afternoon at The 1912 Club.
There will be another past Bert Linton winner in the field in Malvern Prep’s Conaway, who captured the title in 2022 as a freshman at Llanerch Country Club.
EA’s Hartmann and Malvern Prep’s Komancheck are two other obvious contenders in the Bert Linton.
The Friars’ Conaway finished in second place and Komancheck ended up in a tie for third place behind Curran a year ago at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club.
Germantown Academy finished in fourth place at Sunnybrook with a 205 total. Host Springside Chestnut Hill nosed out Penn Charter with a 209 total to the Quakers’ 212 total to give the Blue Devils their second win of the season.
Germantown Academy finished in fourth place in the final standings with a 10-19-1 mark followed by Penn Charter in fifth at 6-24 and Springside Chestnut Hill in sixth at 2-28.
The plan is to make it out to The 1912 Club this afternoon for some live blogging from the Bert Linton Invitational.
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