Inaugural New England Collegiate Conference Golf Championships
Inaugural New England Collegiate Conference Golf Championships
CHICOPEE, Mass.-Saturday marked the first ever New England Collegiate Conference Championships play with the Springfield Pride taking the day one lead in the inaugural 2008 NECC Men's Golf Championships. The championships are being held by Elms College at the Chicopee Country Club with a Par 71 course measuring 6,742 yards.
After the first round, Springfield was in first place with a team score of 324. The Mariners of Mitchell pulled off the second place day one round shooting a team 337, while the Engineers' of Massachusetts Institute of Technology were only 22 strokes behind the leaders with a first round score of 346. The Hawks of Becker placed fourth today with a 350 team score and the host Elms Blazers were a close fifth place only six strokes behind with a 356 tally. The Eagles of Daniel Webster finished 6th in round one with a 365 team score. The Newbury Nighthawks rounded out the team scoring with an 18-hole team score of 399 for day one action.
Round two took place on Sunday. The Pride shot a two-round winning total of 646 (324-322) to earn the championship trophy. Senior Greg Levings (Averill Park, N.Y.) was named the 2008 NECC Golfer of the Year for his medalist performance, shooting a 149 (76-73). Levings helped lead his team to victory, shooting a tournament low-round two over par 73 in Sunday's final round. He is a two-time NECC Golfer of the Week who is majoring in Physical Education at Springfield.
The Mitchell Mariners pulled off a 676 team score to notch the 2008 NECC Runners-Up plaque, shooting a first-round 337 and a final-round 339. Leading the way for the Mariners were two all-conference selections in freshman Mike Lepore (Centerville, Mass.) and Matt Burke (Northborough, Mass.). Lepore tied for third place overall with a two-round 158 (77-81). Burke, named second-team All-NECC, shot a 164 (83-81) for a sixth-place finish.
Rounding out the team scores were the Becker Hawks (683), MIT Engineers (694), Daniel Webster Eagles (704), Elms Blazers (718) and Newbury Nighthawks. (774).
Newbury was awarded the 2008 NECC Team Sportsman ship Award,
which was voted upon by the seven coaches. The Nighthawks are
coached by third-year head coach Jonathan Boyle.
Newbury's top golfer was sophomore Pat Welch
(South Easton, Mass.), who finished 26th with a 195
(104-91).
The NECC championship was hosted by Elms College at the Chicopee
Country Club, a par-71 course measuring 6,742 yards.