MEN’S GOLF PLAYS WELL AT GNAC CHAMPIONSHIP

GORHAM, Maine – The Emmanuel College Men's Golf team played well this past weekend at the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship at the Gorham Country Club. Saint Joseph's College (ME) shot a 306 on Sunday to capture the 2016 title, finishing the weekend with a two-day score of 607 while boasting three All-Conference honorees. The Saints finished seventh overall with a two-day total of 643, carding a single-day season-low of 319 during Round 2 action.

The Monks had entered Sunday one stroke behind tournament host University of Southern Maine, which finished in a tie for second place with five-time defending GNAC champion Rhode Island College. Both squads shot a 610 for the weekend.

Saint Joseph's junior Michael Caron tied for second overall with a 148, while sophomores Cam Letourneau and Adam Hachey tied for fourth with matching 150 cards to help lead the way for the Monks, who are familiar with the course at nearby Gorham.

EC freshman Jack Scavone (Auburn, Mass.) led the way for Emmanuel shooting a 77 and 79 for a two-day total of 156, good for a tie for 15^th place overall. Fellow rookie Taylor Kieselback (Simsbury, Conn.) was just a few strokes behind him with an 81 and 78 for a 159 total. Junior Colin Cordero (Bolton, Conn.) rebounded from a Day 1 85 to shoot a 78 on Sunday for a 163. Senior co-captain Tyler Russ (Exeter, N.H.) rounded out his collegiate career with a 165, shooting an 81 and 84 while sophomore Brian Daly (Burlington, Mass.) carded a 184 with a 94 and 90 to wrap up the Saints top five.

The Saints Day-two total of 319 marked their lowest team-score of the year and the second lowest team-score in program history, just two shy of the program record of 317.

The Monks receive an automatic NCAA Tournament bid next spring by virtue of clinching the conference championship. 

Worcester State University, which finished fourth in the team standings, saw 6-5 junior Mike Jezierski shoot a 74-72--146 to claim medalist honors and GNAC Player of the Year honors. Senior teammate Steven Ferraro finished tied with Caron for second place with a 148 to earn All-Conference accolades as well.

Southern Maine freshman Greg Kalaigas finished in a tie for sixth place after carding a 151, earning GNAC Rookie of the Year honors with the performance.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

2016 GNAC All-Conference Team
1. Mike Jezierski, Worcester State - 146
T2. Michael Caron, Saint Joseph's - 148 
T2. Steven Ferraro, Worcester State - 148
T4. Cam Letourneau, Saint Joseph's - 150
T4. Adam Hachey,  Saint Joseph's - 150 

Player of the Year – Mike Jezierski, Worcester State
Rookie of the Year – Greg Kalaigas, Southern Maine

Final Team Standings
1. Saint Joseph's of Maine - 607
T2. Rhode Island Coll. - 610
T2. Southern Maine - 610
4. Worcester State - 622
5. Johnson & Wales - 629
6. UMass Dartmouth - 633
7. Emmanuel - 643
8. Suffolk - 646
9. Albertus Magnus – 706

*Release courtesy of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference