Maguire, Reynolds Score Top 10 Finishes at GNAC Championship

THE BASICS 

Day 1 Score: 358
Day 2 Score: 355
Final Result: 6^th of 6 (713)
Course: Biddeford-Saco Country Club – Saco, Maine
Event Host: Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Dates: October 10-11, 2022 

COURSE STATS

Front 9: 3,192 Yards (Par 35)
Back 9: 3,166 Yards (Par 36)
Total: 6,358 Yards (Par 71)

THE LEAD – The defending Great Northeast Athletic Conference Champions and host of the 2022 GNAC Men's Golf Championship, Saint Joseph's College of Maine, used their championship experience, matched with a second-day team total of 18-over-par 302, to cruise to a 39-shot victory and earn the GNACs automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship.

Albertus College earned runner-up honors with a strong Day 2 outing (321) to take second with a 665 (344-321) and pass Elms College, which finished the tournament in third at 667 (335-332). Norwich University earned fourth-place honors at 372 (344-328) while Dean College and Emmanuel (Mass.) College rounded out the competitors in fifth and sixth place with scores of 712 (357-355) and 713 (358-355), respectively. 

WINNING PERFORMANCES

• After a first-round team total of 324 left the Monks leading by 11 strokes over Elms College heading into Tuesday's deciding round, the host team used scores of 69, 75, 77, and 81, to shoot 19 strokes lower than the nearest competitor, on their way to the back-to-back titles.
• Despite shooting an 80 in the opening round for the Monks, defending individual champion, sophomore Drew Mathieu (Windham, Maine) defended his individual crown, shooting a 2-under-par 69, including five birdies, in round two, to repeat as the GNACs medalist.
• Mathieu's second round 69 ties the GNAC Championship record for lowest round, matching Rhode Island College's Patrick Ford, who accomplished that feat in 2014.
• The two-time GNAC medalist bested his teammate, senior Trevor Flanagan (Monmouth, Maine) by a single shot. Flanagan shot a pair of 75s over two days, making a run at matching Mathieu thanks to birdies on 16 and 17 to Tuesday left Flanagan two strokes back. Despite a bogey on the last by Mathieu, Flanagan's par on 18 left him one shot back.
• Mathieu and Flanagan were named to the GNAC All-First Team following the event, joined by Elms sophomore Mike Keefe (Milford, Mass.) and first-year Miguel Pierce (Guilford, Conn.), as well as Norwich first-year Matt Printup (Northfield, Vt.). Printup also claimed GNAC Rookie of the Year honors, beating Pierce by a single shot, after the Cadet rookie shot 158 over two days.

EMMANUEL HIGHLIGHTS

• A pair of Saints found their way into the top 10 at the GNAC Championship. Junior Connor Maguire (Old Lyme, Conn.) and sophomore Ian Reynolds (East Haven, Conn.) each shot 26-over-par through two days to finish in a tie for 10^th place at 168.
• Sophomore Jackson Hines (Debary, Fla.) made a late run up the leaderboard with the help of a back nine, three-over-par 39 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 26^th position.

UP NEXT

• The Saints will head out for one last competition this season as they prepare to compete in the Mitchell Invite IV on Wednesday, Oct. 19.