Delaware claims team title in ODU/OBX Intercollegiate; Drexel's Nicholas the individual winner

    Delaware completed an outstanding fall campaign with a victory in the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate and Drexel, behind an impressive individual victory for Drue Nicholas, a sophomore from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., earned runnerup honors to its Colonial Athletic Association rival at the Kilmaric Golf Club in Powells Point, N.C.

   Nicholas, a product of St. Augustine Prep, put the finishing touches on a 54-hole masterpiece with a 1-under-par 70 at the 6,564-yard, par-71 Kilmaric layout Tuesday for a 12-under 201 total that gave him a four-shot victory. Nicholas had pretty much put the individual chase out of reach when he followed up an opening round of six-under 65 Sunday with an equally sparkling 6-under 66 in Monday’s second round.

   Nicholas’ 12-under figure was the second-best in relation to par in the history of the program, two shots behind the 14-under Connor Schmidt put up in the Elon Phoenix Invitational in 2019. Nicholas finished in a tie for third place to lead Drexel to the team crown in the Wildcat Fall Invitational last month at Radnor Valley Country Club.

   The runnerup in the individual chase was Delaware’s Roberto Nieves, a senior from Miami who led the Blue Hens to their second team crown of the fall, the first time they have recorded multiple team victories in a season since the 2010-2011 campaign.

   Nieves added a 2-under 70 Monday to his opening-round 68 and closed with a solid 4-under 67, the best round of the day, to finish four shots behind Nicholas with an 8-under 205 total.

   Delaware recorded back-to-back 6-under 278s in the first two rounds at Kilmaric before closing with a 1-under 283 for a 13-under 839 total. Drexel was right on the Blue Hens’ heels the whole time as the Dragons opened with a 3-under 281 and then matched Delaware’s last two rounds with a 6-under 278 and a 1-under 283 for a 10-under 842 total, the fourth-best total in the history of the program.

   Big East rivals Georgetown and Villanova finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively, the Hoyas ending up four shots behind Drexel with a 6-under 846 total and the Wildcats a shot behind them with a 5-under 847 total.

   Georgetown took a two-shot over Delaware into Tuesday’s final round after adding an 8-under 276 to its opening round of 6-under 278 before the Hoyas cooled off in the final round with an 8-over 292. After opening with a 3-over 287, Villanova added a 3-under 281 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 5-under 279, the best team round of the day.

   Host Old Dominion was another shot behind Villanova in fifth place with a 4-under 848 total as the Monarchs, who play out of Conference USA, added a 286 to their opening round of 2-under 282 before closing with a 4-under 280.

   Joining their City 6 rivals Drexel and Villanova in the field was Saint Joseph’s, which plays out of the Atlantic 10. The Hawks finished in 12^th place in the 17-team field with a 24-over 876 total as they matched par in the opening round with a 284 and added a 290 in Monday’s second round before struggling in the final round with a 302.

   Backing up Nieves for Delaware was Sparky Ariyachatvakin, a sophomore from Thailand who finished in a tie for seventh place with a 3-under 210 total. Ariyachatvakin opened with a solid 3-under 68 and added a 1-under 70 before finishing up with a 1-over 72.

   Michal Bargenda, a senior from Poland, gave Delaware a third top-10 finisher as he ended up in a tie for ninth place with a 2-under 211 total. Bargenda added a 3-under 69 to his opening-round 72 before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Owen Manchester, a sophomore from Irvine, Calif., finished among the group tied for 21^st place for Delaware as he landed on even-par 213. Manchester carded back-to-back 1-under 70s in the first two rounds before finishing up with a 2-over 73. Rounding out the Delaware lineup was Hugo Kedzlie, a junior from England who added an even-par 71 to his opening-round 72 before closing with a 4-over 75.

   Drake’s Tim Lim, a graduate student from Hoffman Estates, Ill., finished a shot behind Nieves in third place in the individual standings with a 7-under 206 total. Lim added a 4-under 67 to his opening-round 70 before closing with a 2-under 69.

   Leading the way for Villanova was Matthew Copeland, a graduate student from Maryville, Tenn. who finished in a tie for fourth place with Lim’s Drake teammate, Lucas Scherf, a senior from Grinnell, Iowa, at 6-under 207. After opening with a 70, Copeland added a 2-under 69 before closing with a 3-under 68. Scherf trailed Drexel’s Nicholas by just a shot after opening with a 5-under 66. He matched par in the second round with a 71 before finishing up with a 1-under 70.

   Georgetown was led by Will O’Neill, a senior from Morristown, N.J. who finished alone in sixth place with a 5-under 208 total that left him a shot behind Copeland and Scherf. After opening with a 3-under 68, O’Neill matched par in the second round with a 71 before closing with a 2-under 69.

   Joining Delaware’s Ariyachatvakin in the tie for seventh place at 3-under was Old Dominion’s Rasmus Konradsson, a senior from Sweden who added a pair of 2-under 69s in the final two rounds to his opening-round 72.

   A pair of North Dakota State players, Brock Winter, a sophomore from Stillwater, Minn., and Nate Adams, a sophomore from Maple Grove, Minn., joined Delaware’s Bargenda in the trio tied for ninth place at 2-under 211. After opening with a 73, Winter reeled off a pair of 2-under 69s in the final two rounds. After opening with a 72, Adams carded a 2-under 69 before finishing up with a 1-under 70.

   Backing up Nicholas for Drexel were Jeffrey Cunningham, a senior from West Palm Beach, Fla., and Angelo Giantsopoulos, a senior from Canada, both of whom landed in the group tied for 12^th place at 1-under 212. Cunningham opened with a 3-under 68 and matched par in Monday’s second round with a 71 before finishing up with a 2-over 73.

   Giantsopoulos was coming off a third-place finish in the individual standings that helped Drexel take fourth in the Mountaineer Invitational at the Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, W.Va. earlier this month. After opening with a 74, Giantsopoulos posted a 1-under 70 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 3-under 68.

   Griffin Mitchell, a sophomore from New Albany, Ohio, finished in a tie for 32^nd place with a 4-over 217 total for the Dragons. After opening with a 74, Mitchell matched par in Monday’s second round with a 71 before finishing up with a 1-over 72.

   Junior Liam Hart, the PIAA Class AAA champion in 2017 as a junior at Holy Ghost Prep, rounded out the Drexel lineup as he ended up in the group tied for 40^th place with a 7-over 220 total. Hart added a 1-over 72 to his opening-round 75 before closing with a 73.

   Backing up Copeland for Villanova was Peter Weaver, a sophomore from Frontenac, Mo. who finished among the group tied for 12^th place with a 1-under 212 total. Weaver opened with a 2-under 69 and added a 73 before closing with a 1-under 70.

   Vimal Alokam, a freshman from Ypsilanti, Mich., had the best round of the tournament for the Wildcats with a 4-under 67 in Monday’s second round. Alokam had opened with a 74 and finished up with a 76 to end up among the group tied for 32^nd place at 4-over 217.

   Noah Peck, a senior from Hunt Valley, Md., bounced back from an opening-round 78 with a 72 in Monday’s second round before contributing a 1-under 70 to the Wildcats’ strong finish as he ended up in the group tied for 40^th place with a 7-over 220 total. Rounding out the Villanova lineup was Jonathan Elkins, a sophomore from South Deerfield, Mass. who finished in a tie for 56^th place with a 10-over 223 total. Elkins added a 78 to his opening-round 74 before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Leading the way for Saint Joseph’s was graduate student Wills Montgomery, who starred scholastically at Downingtown East. Montgomery had back-to-back 3-under 68s in the first two rounds before struggling to a 77 in Tuesday’s final round to finish among the group tied for 21^st place with an even-par 213 total.

   Senior J.T. Spina, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during an outstanding scholastic career at Pope John Paul II, fired a 4-under 67 in Monday’s second round after opening with a 73. Spina struggled a little in the final round with a 78 that left him in a tie for 36^th place with a 5-over 218 total.

   James Gorman, a sophomore from Greenville, S.C., sandwiched a 76 in Monday’s second round with a pair of 2-over 73s to finish in a tie for 53^rd place with a 9-over 222 total.

   Sophomore Kevin Smith, who led Strath Haven to the District One Class AAA team crown as a senior in 2019, opened with a solid 1-under 70, but struggled to rounds of 79 and 78 in the second and third rounds, respectively, to land in a tie for 67^th place with a 227 total. Rounding out the St. Joe’s lineup was sophomore Steve Lorenzo, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in 2018 as a junior at La Salle, sandwiched an 83 in Monday’s second round with a pair of 74s to end up in a tie for 80^th place with a 231 total.

   Saint Joseph's will be the host and Drexel and Villanova will also be in the field as the City 6 Championship returns after a one-year pandemic enforced layoff Saturday at Llanerch Country Club, the underrarted Haverford Township layout that was the site of the 1958 PGA Championship.