Episcopal Academy, behind individual medalist Freddy Hartmann, got its Inter-Ac League season off to a flying start Thursday by sweeping The Haverford School Invitational at Gulph Mills Golf Club, the first of the six invitationals that make up the league’s regular season.
Hartmann carded a solid 34 – pretty sure that’s 1-under par for the nine the field played at Gulph Mills, the Donald Ross gem that is a peaceful oasis of green amidst all that traffic in Upper Merion Township – to help the Churchmen put together a team total of 183.
It was just the eighth invitational win for Episcopal since the Inter-Ac adopted this format when it switched its schedule from spring to fall in 2011.
Episcopal swept to an invitational win, hosted by The Haverford School at French Creek Golf Club, to conclude the 2023 regular season and Doug Borgerson, the veteran EA head coach, informs that Thursday’s win marks the first time the Churchmen have recorded back-to-back invitational victories.
It was also the first time EA has swept to victory in the season-opening invitational as the Churchmen got off to a 5-0 start. EA had two invitational wins a year ago and finished as the runnerup to Haverford School with a 23-7 record.
And EA did it at Gulph Mills without a senior in the lineup.
Hartmann, who led the way for the Churchmen with his 34, is a sophomore.
Junior co-captain Jimmy Warmkessel and Parker Smith, also a junior, backed up Hartmann as each signed for a 36.
Sophomore Liam Crowley chipped in with a 38 for the Churchmen. Crowley, then just a freshman, was the medalist in the season-ending invitational at French Creek last fall.
Will Krietsch, another junior co-captain, rounded out the counters for Episcopal as he registered a 39.
The Haverford School opened defense of its title with a solid runnerup finish as the Fords ended up six shots behind Episcopal with a 189 total. Junior Sean Curran led the way for Haverford School with a 36.
Seniors Harrison Brown and J.P. Hoban each posted a 37 for the Fords. Brown’s summer was highlighted by a victory in the Jock MacKenzie Memorial, one of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s major championships for junior players at Sandy Run Country Club.
Senior Gregor Weissenberger checked in with a solid 39 for the Fords. Weissenberger was the winner of the Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac’s individual crown last fall at Aronimink Golf Club.
Malvern Prep was another seven shots behind Haverford School in third place with a 196 total behind a solid 36 from junior Pat Duda.
Junior Davis Conaway added a 38 for the Friars. Conaway was the Inter-Ac’s individual champion when he won the Bert Linton at Llanerch Country Club as a freshman in the fall of 2022. Conaway finished in a tie for third place in defense of his Bert Linton crown last fall at Aronimink.
Senior Michael Henry, the runnerup to Weissenberger in the Bert Linton last fall, chipped in for Malvern Prep with a 40.
Penn Charter finished in fourth place in the season-opening invitational at Gulph Mills followed by Germantown Academy in fifth and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in sixth.
The second invitational on the Inter-Ac schedule will be Tuesday, hosted by Penn Charter at The 1912 Club.
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