Mariners Wrap Up Play at NECC Men's Golf Championship
STOW, Mass. - The Elms College men's golf team was crowned as the 2013 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) champions on Sunday afternoon after recording a two-day team score of 641 at Wedgewood Pines Country Club.
Trailing by nine strokes after the opening round, the Blazers fired 324 on a soggy, wet second day of the tournament to edge out Babson College by two strokes. The Beavers finished at 643 after firing a 335 team score on day two.
Senior Henry Fall led the way for the Blazers as he became the first four-time member of the NECC All-Conference team. After tying the conference record for lowest championship round on day one, Fall turned in an 81 for a two-day total of 150. Fellow senior Tyler Cudnik and Chris Miele also earned first team recognition with matching two-day scores of 163 while Nick Smith followed an 83 on Saturday with an 82 on Sunday.
Led by first year Head Coach Jeff Page, Babson College also earned the Team Sportsmanship Award while sophomore Vijay Vasandani edged out Fall for NECC Player of the Year honors. All-square heading into the final day of the championship, Vasandani turned in a card of a 78 for a two-day total of 147, three shots better than Fall.
Daniel Webster sophomore Clint Goodwin was named the NECC Rookie of the Year after following up his first round score of 77 with an impressive 79 for a two-day total of 156.
Newbury junior Cameron D'Agostino tied Elms' Cudnik and Miele for fifth place with a two-day total of 163 after firing an 87 on the second day. All three golers earned all-conference first team honors. It was the second all-conference nod - first in men's golf - for D'Agostino after the North Shore native earned all-conference honors in baseball as a freshman.
In her second year at the helm of the Becker College Hawks, Karen Powell was named the NECC Coach of the Year.
Freshman Mark Cardi led the Mariners in the second round with a 95 and finished 31st overall with a two-day total of 193. Sophomore Matt Grudgen recorded the low tournament score for Mitchell with a total of 188 and placed 28th overall, two shots better than senior Michael Pinkerton (29th, 190).
2013 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Awards
Player of the Year: Vijay Vasandani, Babson
Rookie of the Year: Clint Goodwin, Daniel Webster
Team Sportsmanship Award: Babson College
Coach of the Year: Karen Powell, Becker
All-NECC First Team
Vijay Vasandani, Babson College (69 - 78 -- 147)
Henry Fall, Elms College (69 - 81 -- 150)
Clint Goodwin, Daniel Webster College (77 - 79 -- 156)
Kyle DiFranco, Springfield College (74 - 83 -- 157)
Cameron D'Agostino, Newbury College (76 - 87 -- 163)
Tyler Cudnik, Elms College (82 - 81 -- 163)
Chris Miele, Elms College (83 - 80 -- 163)
All-NECC Second Team
Chris Maguire, Babson College (79 - 86 -- 165)
Nick Smith, Elms College (83 - 82 -- 165)
David Hashagen, Springfield College (81 - 84 -- 165)