By: Luke Brown
Staff Writer
The Springfield College men’s golf team had their fifth and sixth tournaments of the year this past weekend.
The team traveled to Wedgewood Pines Country Club in Stow, Mass. for the NECC Championship on Friday, and finished first in the six-team tournament.
Saturday and Sunday, however, the team faltered slightly as they finished in 21st place while participating in the Williams Invitational at Taconic Country Club in Williamstown, Mass.
Coach Joe Eadie, a native of Springfield, Mass., displayed mixed emotions after the eventful weekend.
“They won a tournament on Friday, which I think was good of them,” Eadie said. “Even though it was a smaller tournament, it was still good of them to do that. The one this weekend though, they didn’t play as well as I expected them too.”
On Friday, the team shot a total score of 329.
Senior Kyle DiFranco led Springfield College as he shot a 78 and received co-medalist honors. DiFranco tallied up the score by making five birdies, including four on the front nine, which was a tournament high.
Adam Ziewacz, the NECC Golfer and Rookie of the Year a season ago, finished tied for third with an 81. While these two turned in the best scorecards, their teammates David Hashagen (84), Joe Sabowicz (86), and Mike Nowakowski (94) also played impressively to complete the victory over Babson among others.
The NECC Invitational win gives the Pride an automatic bid to the NECC Championship. The Championship will be their next tournament, and will take place on October 4th and 5th at the Wedgewood Country Club.
This is a tournament that the Pride won in their 2012 campaign.
If they can defend their title, they will receive a bid to the Division III Championship for the second straight year.
When Saturday and Sunday came around, however, they may have felt a “first place hangover,” as the team shot a total score of 677 in the two-day tournament.
Ziewacz, a Simsbury, Conn. native, impressed his coach, spectators and teammates as he was able to shoot in the 70s both on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, the junior tied for 11th overall by shooting an impressive 75. Ziewacz came back on Sunday and shot a 77 to lead the Pride.
DiFranco took a slight step back on Sunday by turning in a scorecard of 88, but regained his composure on Sunday, going into the clubhouse with an 82.
Hashagen came out firing as he gave the Pride all he had. The senior tallied an 83 and an 86. Alec Leung shot a 92 and 95, respectively. Nowakowski finished things up for the Pride, as he finished with a 101 and a 91. The biggest positive for the Pride was the improvement seen through many scores on Saturday to Sunday.
“This is a very mature team, as they have no freshmen or sophomores,” Eadie said. “This team is very unique because of that. The team is very even throughout. My one could play five or my five could play one. I’ve never had that before.”
Only time will tell if this veteran team has a shot at the Division III Championship, but Eadie remains confident as he notes that they’ll be experienced if they can return, which translates into confidence.