W&J Claims 15th PAC Men's Golf Championship
WEST MIDDLESEX, Pa. -- Washington & Jefferson College won its 15th Presidents’ Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championship on Wednesday, April 27 at Oak Tree Country Club. With the victory, W&J earns the conference’s automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament (May 10-13) at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C.
The Presidents, who have won five of the last six league titles, totaled 1,233 strokes (300-313-302-318) during the championship series which determines the conference champion. Two rounds were played in the fall and the final 36 holes were competed the last two days.
W&J brought a 23-stroke advantage from the fall season on Grove City. Head Coach Sean Dove was selected as the PAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career (2 men; 2 women).
Individually, freshman Tyler Fewell (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) {3rd from left below} earned First Team All-PAC honors to lead the Presidents after carding a 36-hole, seven-over par score of 149 (72-77). He was nudged out for PAC Medalist by Thomas More’s Brandon Dulle (75-73) by one stroke.
Defending champion Thomas More was second with 1,267 strokes followed by Saint Vincent (1,276), Grove City (1,280), Westminster (1,289), Thiel (1,299), Bethany (1,351) and Waynesburg (1,363).
W&J freshman Colin Izzo (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) {4th from left} tied for fourth place to collect First Team All-PAC laurels. Izzo carded 153 strokes (77-76) over the past two days.
Freshman Brian Omslaer (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) tied for 15th place with 159 strokes (80-79), while senior E.J. Morascyzk (Washington, Pa./Trinity) placed 24th with a two-day score of 164 (78-86).
Freshman Adam Hallberlin (Washington, D.C./Montgomery Blair) competed at the conference championship event for the first time Wednesday and posted a total of 87 shots.
W&J will make its fourth trip to the NCAA Men’s Golf Tournament. In 2006, Washington & Jefferson earned its first-ever appearance as an at-large team and placed 19th at Firethorn Golf Club in Lincoln, Neb. Two years later, W&J tied for 24th place at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga. The last appearance came in 2009 when W&J placed 14th at the PGA Village in Port Saint Lucie, Fla.
Current senior Brad Cieslinski (Natrona Heights, Pa./Highlands) recorded the second-best individual finish by a President in history at the 2009 championships when placing 34th. In 2006, Michael Grasso turned in a 22nd-place finish for the program's best showing at the national championship event.
Check the W&J athletics website over the next two weeks for further information on the Presidents at the 2011 NCAA Division III Championships.
