Nichols Wins Bison Invitational

 NICHOLS WINS BISON INVITATIONAL

UXBRIDGE, Mass. - The Nichols College men's golf team won its first Bison Invitational Wednesday afternoon at Blissful Meadows Country Club with a team score of 310. Nichols was led by junior Pat Pio (Somers, Conn.) and senior Chris Healy (Charlton, Mass.), who each fired a three-over-par 75 to lead the 43-player field. Pio prevailed in a one-hole playoff to take top medalist honors.

Junior Brett Hershman (Worcester, Mass.) led Tufts University to a second-place finish with a four-over par 76; the Jumbos combined for a 322 and were followed by Brandeis University (333), Rhode Island College (342), Wentworth Institute of Technology (344), Mitchell College (346), Endicott College (350), Anna Maria College (351) and Suffolk University (377).

Pio (36-39) shot an even-par 36 on the front nine to lead, but Healy (38-37) caught up two strokes on the back to force the one-hole tiebreak.

Nichols College junior Cole Ruwe (Pekin, Ill.) placed fourth with a 78, posting a tournament-low even-par 36 on the back nine. Tufts senior Phil Haslett (Singapore) and freshman Alex Podell (San Diego, Calif.) of Brandeis each fired an 80 (40, 40) to tie for fifth place.

Sophomore Joshua Palhus (Sutton, Mass.) tied for 11th place with an 82, while senior Chris Brock (Pomfret Center, Conn.) fired an 83 to tie for 13th to round out the field for Nichols.

The Bison are back in action at Rhode Island College on October 17th in their final tune-up before the NEIGA Championship on October 20-21 at The Captain's Golf Course in Brewster, Mass.