The men’s golf team came out strong in the Donald Ross Intercollegiate in Morganton, N.C., but finished with a score of 295. The Bison placed 13th overall and were led by Schuyler Stitzer ’14 and Zach Pogust ’15.
Stitzer did not shoot anything lower than a bogey the first day, and on the second day he shot 74. Pogust finished day one with a 1-over 71 and tied his personal best this season. The second round left him with 74, which was enough to help the team score of 294 and 297 in the first two rounds.
While the Orange and the Blue tied their season low of 294, it was not enough to beat the other schools in the tournament.
“Despite our unsatisfactory finish, there were a lot of positives we took from the weekend,” Peter Scialabba ’15 said. “Our short games allowed us to shoot competitive scores although we weren’t hitting the ball as well as we’d like.”
There are many positives to take from the tournament, including the first-years stepping up to the tee.
“Our freshmen D.J. [Magee ’17] and Zach [Melnick ’17] are improving as they get used to playing college golf,” Scialabba said.
Magee birdied a hole at the beginning of the final round, shooting a 75. Melnick scored a spot on the travel roster and secured three birdies for the weekend, finishing behind Pogust and Stitzer.
The Bison compete next in the Lehigh Invitational at Saucon Valley CC on Oct. 27-28.
Despite rainy conditions in Ithaca, N.Y. this past weekend, Thomas Walter ’14 led the men’s golf team to an impressive 296 team score in the second round of the Cornell Invitational.
No team was able to break 300 in the first round. Walter fought through the tough conditions to post a four-over 75, leading the Bison to a 308 team score in the first round.
The men completed 12 holes in the second round before the remaining holes were postponed due to heavy rain. When they finished the last six holes, the Bison had an overall 296 team score, making the men second-best right behind Towson’s 292.
“I thought the team battled back well in the second round to get back into contention. To finish under 300 in those conditions was a good round. Coach always preaches to have everyone under 75 and we accomplished that,” Walter said.
Walter sat comfortably close to the lead after posting an even-par 71 in the second round.
Despite this flash of brilliance from the men, the herd could not carry this momentum into the final round. The Orange and Blue posted a 313 team score in the round (917 overall) to finish eighth in the standings.
Walter said the final round was “tough” and “very disappointing from both an individual aspect and a team aspect.” Walter could not capitalize on his 75-71 start, posting an 81 in the final round. Despite his final round, Walter still finished in a tie for 19th place.
Peter Scialabba ’15 was able to lead the Bison in the final round, carding a four-over par 75. Scialabba tied for 24th with fellow Bison John Edler ’17. D.J. Magee ’17 completed his first road start with all three rounds in the seventies.
“We were semi-pleased with our performance last weekend. We posted a great second round score, which put us only eight back of the leaders, but could not capitalize in the third round. We remain confident, because all of five players were able to contribute, and our team’s depth continues to be proven,” Scialabba said.
The Bison hope to showcase this depth Oct. 6-7 at the Army Invitational, site of the 2014 Patriot League Championship in April.
Peter Scialabba ’15 and Thomas Walter ’14 led the Bison’s two five-man golf teams to a strong finish at the Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 14 and 15. Scialabba and Walter finished sixth and ninth, respectively, earning the Orange and Blue fourth- and fifth-place team finishes out of the 10-team pool.
After posting a 304 team score in the first round, the Orange team fired an impressive 298 in the second round and moved into fifth place. The Blue team posted consecutive team scores of 309, being led by an outstanding one-over-par 71 in the second round by Scialabba.
“We had high hopes heading into the weekend, and we did not play as consistently across the team as we wanted. Several guys had great starts, and others finished well, but only Peter and Thomas appeared to play well the whole weekend,” Nick Geissler ’16 said.
Both Bison teams went low in the third and final round, moving the Orange team into fourth place and the Blue team into fifth. This strong finish will hopefully propel the Bison to another successful finish this weekend at the Cornell Invitational.
The men’s golf team took fifth place out of a 14-team field at the season-opening Colgate Invitational at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y. on Sept. 7-8. Schuyler Stitzer ’14 and Zach Pogust ’15 both went low for the Bison, leading the team to a strong finish.
The Orange and Blue started off their season with a bang, posting a 906 total for the 54-hole tournament. After a slow start in the first round, the Bison rallied in the afternoon to post an impressive 294, led by Pogust’s one-under 71.
“After struggling a little bit in the first round, I think the team did a nice job of bouncing back with a solid second round on Saturday and posting one of the lowest team scores on Sunday as well,” Pogust said.
All five players improved on their score from the morning round, and Pogust’s 71 was his first career sub-par round.
Led by Stitzer’s 1-over 73 in the final round, the Bison totaled 303, one of the lowest team scores posted that day. This strong finish allowed the Bison to hold onto their fifth place position, beating more than half of the field.
The men look to follow this impressive tournament with a victory at home this weekend at the Bucknell Invitational.
Both the men’s and women’s golf teams ended their 2012 seasons on somewhat disappointing notes, with both teams showing potential for the upcoming 2013-2014 season.
In April, the men’s team landed fourth place in the Patriot League Championships behind Lehigh, Navy, and Army. Schuyler Stitzer ’14 was named to First Team All-Patriot League Honors after his effort in the championship, placing T-4th. Stitzer’s performance helped to bring his team to its fourth place finish, ending with a final combined score of 929.
The women’s team also swung high in its Patriot League Championship but narrowly missed first place by three strokes, dropping the championship to Lehigh. Bridget Wilcox ’14 finished the championship with a 22-over 232, earning herself a spot on the All-Patriot League Team along with her teammates Lauren Bernard ’14 and Kasha Scott ’14. Bernard also placed T-3rd in the Patriot League Championship, followed by Scott who ended her round in fifth place.
“We’re definitely excited to bounce back from a tough end to last season and take that Patriot League title back from Lehigh,” Jen Lee ’16 said.
“The season will be predicated upon how our upperclassmen lead our freshmen. We have some very talented freshmen who need some leadership and experience. If we get that coupled with sophomore and junior performance, then we may be extremely successful this fall,” Nick Geissler ’16 said.
Despite their endings, the men’s and women’s golf teams scored high in academics. In June, it was announced that six members of the women’s team, Wilcox, Scott, Bernard, Lee, Lexi Klein ’15, and Katie Mancino ’13, qualified for the Patriot League Women’s Golf Academic Honor Roll, requiring a minimum 3.2 GPA to be accepted. Scott and Wilcox were accepted to the five-member Academic All-Patriot League Team in May as well. For the men’s golf team, Stitzer was also accepted into the Patriot League Men’s Golf All-Academic Team in May.
Eager to begin both their academic and golf seasons, the men’s and women’s golf teams will swing into their seasons today. The men’s team will compete in the Colgate Invitational in Hamilton, N.Y. today and tomorrow. The women’s team begins its season today when they compete in the Bucknell Invitational.
The men’s golf team took on some tough competition this past weekend at the Manor Intercollegiate, playing at The Manor Resort Golf Club in Farmville, Va. The Bison jumped up two places following a strong final round to finish the tournament in seventh place.
The Bison were led all weekend by Schuyler Stitzer ’14 who shot sub-par scores of 71 and 70, respectively, in the final two rounds of the tournament. Combined with his first-round 78, Stitzer finished the weekend with a 3-over-par 219, placing him fourth individually at the event, only five shots behind the first place finisher.
Additionally, Dan Bernard ’13 shot a 76 in the final round and finished in 22nd individually. Peter Scialabba ’15 finished strong with a closing round 78, Nick Geissler ’16 shot a 77 in the second round and Billy Wright ’14 closed the tournament with his best round of 77.
After an opening round team score of 314, the Bison came back to finish the tournament with rounds of 300 and 301. This was the fourth-best finish of all participating teams and the final round score of 301 was the second-best score of the day.
The Bison will next be in action this weekend at the Navy Invitational, the final event for the team before the Patriot League Championship on April 27-28 at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa.
The men’s golf team competed this past week at Villanova’s Wildcat Invitational, which was held at the White Manor Country Club in Malvern, Pa. A solid final round performance led the Bison to ninth place in the team final standings.
The event began on April 1 with the first two rounds of the tournament. The Bison started off well with scores of 314 and 311 to put them in 10th place. In the final round, the Bison closed out the tournament with a 303, good enough for the third-best team score of the day. This strong round was led by solid performances from Pete Scialabba ’15 and Dan Bernard ’13. Scialabba shot a 1-over-par 72, which Bernard nearly matched, shooting a 73 on the day. Other team members that contributed were Schuyler Stitzer ’14 with a 78, Jon Hartman ’13 with an 80 and Thomas Walter ’14 with an 82.
The next event for the Bison will be at the Lafayette Invitational, hosted at the Northampton Country Club, on April 7-8.
The men’s golf team wrapped up its fall season over the weekend on a high note, finishing in fifth at the Lehigh Invitational due to exceptional play from Luke Edelman ’16.
Edelman shined for the Bison at the Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa. when he posted scores of 72 and 74 in two rounds, resulting in a tie for third in the individual standings. This was the second time this season that he finished in the top three.
“I had a successful tournament, finishing tied for third individually. In fact, I was actually in the lead with six holes to go. However, I did not close the deal, which I am disappointed in,” Edelman said. “[But] it was still my second top-three finish in five events. Nonetheless, I will take it as a learning opportunity.”
Other Bison with strong performances were Dan Bernard ’13 in a tie for 21st (155), Zach Pogust ’15 in a tie for 26th (158), J.J. Szmadzinski ’13 in 29th (159) and Schuyler Stitzer ’14 in a tie for 32nd (161).
The Orange and Blue posted a team score of 308 in the first round, with a 36-hole total score of 617, placing them in fifth out of eight teams at the end of competition. Villanova finished in first place, with a cumulative score of 580. Individually, Villanova’s Michael Kania took first, beating his teammate Steve Skurla by one stroke. Edelman tied for third along with Cory Siegfried of Villanova and Doug Walters of Rutgers.
“I’m very excited about the spring championship season,” Edelman said. “I think that with our talent, if we put in the practice time we have the potential to be quite successful and that is the best part of it all.”
Despite tough conditions, the men’s golf team had a successful outing over the weekend at the Cornell Invitational, finishing fourth in a 13-team field. Dan Bernard ’13 finished in the top ten for the third time this season.
After opening play with a round of 73, Bernard shot a 75 in the final round, earning him a fourth-place tie in the individual standings. He has been the low player for the Bison in all three competitions so far, after a win at the Bucknell Invitational and a tenth place tie at the Colgate Invitational.
“Our key to success was our ball striking, since the weather conditions were not ideal. Also, golf is a fickle game in that one day you can be playing well and another badly, so we have to make the most of what we have every round,” Bernard said.
Schuyler Stitzer ’14 was not far behind Bernard’s lead, shooting a 152 total (75-77), earning him a tie for 16th place. Zach Pogust ’15 improved off of his opening round of 78 with 76 in the final round.
“While our team did put together a few good rounds this weekend … we head into every tournament looking to win,” Pogust said. “In order to improve, I think we have to work on keeping the ball in play off the tee and learning to make smart decisions regarding when to fire at pins and when to play towards the middle of the green. Some things that I thought we did well at Cornell that led to our success was our ability to grind out rounds in tough conditions. We were also able to pick up a few strokes on the field by limiting our three putts.”
Both Luke Edelman ’16 (74-81) and Thomas Walter ’14 (78-77) finished with a total of 155. Playing as an individual, Pete Scialabba ’15 shot an 82 on Saturday and 77 on Sunday.
Binghamton was the champion of the tournament, with a 297-296 score.
The Orange and Blue will have a week for practice and recovery before competing in the Binghamton Invitational on Oct. 7 and 8.
Chloe Chou | The Bucknellian A Bison golfer looks to capitalize on the short game. Unfortunately, inclimate weather kept the Orange and the Blue from defending their win streak at home.
Chris McCree
Sports Editor
The men’s and women’s golf teams kicked off their seasons with third and seventh place finishes, respectively. This past weekend, the Colgate Invitational in Hamilton, N.Y. gave the men a team score of 618 or 42-over par, leaving them 20 strokes behind tournament champion, Youngstown State. The women’s team had a tougher time during its host tournament, failing to extend its event winning streak to three straight years.
For the men, Dan Bernard ’13 led the team with a 36-hole score of 153, earning him a top-10 finish in a field of 54 competitors.
“The team performed pretty well,” Bernard said. “It was good for the freshmen to get some tournament experience in the tough conditions over the weekend.”
The Bison started two first-years this weekend, Luke Edelman and Nick Geissler, who finished T-21 and T-36, respectively, in their first collegiate tournaments. Edelman posted scores of 80 and 76 over the two days, while Geissler finished with two rounds of 83 and 80.
“Personally, I was disappointed with my performance on both days and will not take it lightly,” Edelman said. “I plan to work very hard in the coming weeks to ensure better performances in the future. Although I was very upset with my performance, I must say that the entire feel of the tournament was great between our team, our coach and the tournament itself.”
Rounding out the top five for the Bison were Schuyler Stitzer ’14 and Zach Pogust ’15 who finished T-13 and T-18, respectively. At the end of the tournament, all but Youngstown State’s Bill Gaffney were over-par. Gaffney held a seven stroke victory at one under par.
Coming away from the weekend, the Bison can be satisfied that they were able to finish ahead of host team and league rival Colgate, who finished with a 639.
For the women, Bridget Wilcox ’14 led the team with a 54-hole total of 231. Wilcox was the sole player for the Orange and Blue to record three-straight rounds under 80, allowing her to finish in the top 10 at +21.
Coming into the event, the Bison were the two-time defending champions, but could not find the consistency to win this year. At the end of the three rounds, Boston University stood atop the leaderboard after squeezing by both Rutgers and Seton Hall by a stroke. The Orange and Blue were able to finish strong, posting its best round of the tournament on Sept. 9 to move from eighth to seventh in the 15-team field.
“Well the tournament was a little disappointing. We’ve won our home tournament for the past two years, but this year it just didn’t happen for us. None of us played our best, but it’s a building year for us and we know what we need to work on,” Lexi Klein ’15.
The men’s team will return to play today when they host the Bucknell Invitational, while the women will take the week off before heading to Michigan to play in the Wolverine Invitational.
