Men's Golf Heads To NEC Championships This Weekend

COMPETITION: Mount St. Mary's at Northeast Conference Championships
WHEN: Fri-Sun, Apr. 29-May 1, 2011
WHERE: Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Resort, Celebration, Fla.

MOUNT PARTICIPANTS: Tonny Aizpun,, Kevin Ellison, Dan Michalek, Devin O'Grady, Ryan Triller
MOUNT TEE TIMES (TENTATIVE): 8:50 a.m., 9 a.m., 9:10 a.m., 9:20 a.m., 9:30 a.m. (on the 1st tee)
COMPETING TEAMS: Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (N.Y.), Saint Francis (Pa.), Wagner
2011 Team Champion: Sacred Heart (295-287-306=888)
2011 Individual Champion: C.G. Mercatoris, Robert Morris (71-70-74=215)

Mount NEC Tournament History
Top Team Finish: 2nd (608, 1998)
Top Individual Finish: Dennis Toomey (1st, 149, 1990), Dennis Toomey (1st, 152, 1991)
Top-10 Finishes (18): Dennis Toomey (1990, 1991), John Nelson (1990), Mike Langella (1992, 1994), Nick Angelo (1992, 1993), Jim Albaugh (1994), Matt Dobish (1995), Joe Kamnikar (1996), Nick Montemarano (1998), Chris Horgan (1998), Andrew Hill (2003, 2005), Jordan Bertoglio (2006), Kevin Farrell (2007, 2008), Brad Gerick (2009), Devin O'Grady (2011)
Top Team Round Score: 295 (2003)
Top Individual Round Score: Jeff Kingsbury (69, 2008)
Top Team Two Round Score: 594 (2008)
Top Individual Two Round Score: Three players, 145
Top Team Three Round Score: 896 (2008)
Top Individual Three Round Score: Kevin Farrell (220. 2008)

opening tee... The Mount St. Mary's men's golf team heads to Florida for the Northeast Conference Men's Golf Championships at the LPGA International in Florida. The squad will be looking for their first NEC title with its best finish coming in 1998 with a second-place standing. The Mountaineers have had a golfer finish in the Top-10 19 times in program history.

the championships are live... The Northeast Conference Championships will have live updates at www.golfstat.com. Tee times will be announced and after every three holes scores will be reported as well each day.

last time out... Danny Michalek and Tonny Aizpun each finished 38th to lead the Mount St. Mary's men's golf team to a 13th-place standing at the Navy Spring Invitational on Apr. 22. In the last event before the NEC Championships, Michalek posted a 77 in the first round and a 78 in the second round for a two-round total of 155. Aizpun registered a 73 in the first round and an 82 in the second for to also card a 155 in the event. The duo finished 13 strokes behind the medalist. Devin O'Grady (45th place, 156), Kevin Ellison (62nd place, 158) and Ryan Triller (80th place, 162) rounded out the Mount's five team competitors. Andrew Lawton  participated in the first round and then withdrew in the second round as an individual. The Mount finished 13th after carding a 305 and 317 for a two-round total of 622.

last time at that event... Devin O'Grady finished ninth at the NEC Men's Golf Championships to lead Mount St. Mary's to a third-place standing on May 1. Coming into the final round, O'Grady ranked fourth with a two-round program-record score of 145 after shooting a one-over round (73) on Friday and an even round (72) on Saturday. The freshman registered a 77 on Sunday to card a three-round score of 222 to finish ninth, seven strokes behind the medalist. It marks the 19th time in program history the Mount had a player place in the Top-10 while O'Grady becomes the 14th different player to accomplish the feat and the first since Brad Gerick in 2009, who also finished ninth in that event. The three-round score of 222 is the third-best three-round mark in the championships in program history. By finishing in the Top-10, O'Grady was named to the NEC All-Tournament team. As a team, the Mount finished third with a three-round score of 914 after registering a 305 in the first round, a 297 in the second round and a 312 on the final day. The third-place finish is the squad's best finish at the NEC Championships since placing second in 1998. The Mount posted fourth-place standings in 2003, 2008 and 2010. The 914 was the second-best three-round mark in team history at the championships. For the second-straight day, the Mountaineers counted four scores in the 70s. O'Grady's 77 was the top-team performance on the afternoon while Tonny Aizpun and Kevin Ellison each carded a 78 and Dan Michalek posted a 79 to count toward the team score of 312 for the day. Ray Hyre rounded out the Mount's five competitors with an 84 on Sunday. Along with O'Grady, Michalek (18th place, 232), Aizpun (24th place, 233), Ellison (29th place, 235) and Hyre (35th place, 238) all helped the Mount to its best standing in the league tournament in 13 years.

next on tap... This event concludes the 2011-12 slate for the men's golf team.

triller honored… Ryan Triller has been named the Northeast Conference Men's Co-Golfer of the Week for the week of Apr. 11-17. Triller finished second at the Mount St. Mary's Spring Invitational on Tuesday. The freshman posted a pair of 72's on the first day of the competition and then carded a 76 in the final round to record a three-round total of 220. Triller finished two strokes behind the medalist in second place. The Mount finished the event third as a team.

nice start… The Mount finished second at the Rehoboth Beach Invitational on Sept. 26, marking the squad's best finish since placing second at the ECAC Championships on Oct. 1-2, 2010. The team has posted a team score of 300 or better eight of the 10 rounds this season. Sophomore Kevin Ellison became the first Mount golfer since Andrew Hill in 2003 to win and event after finishing as the medalist at the ECAC Championships and helping the team to its first team title since 2007. The squad concluded the fall with a second-place standing at the Robert Morris Pittsburgh Airport Colonial Classic on Oct. 11.

all-tournament returner… Sophomore Devin O'Grady finished ninth at the NEC Championships in 2011 to earn All-Tournament honors. It marks the 19th time in program history the Mount had a player place in the Top-10 while O'Grady becomes the 14th different player to accomplish the feat and the first since Brad Gerick in 2009, who also finished ninth in that event. The three-round score of 222 is the third-best three-round mark in the championships in program history. By finishing in the Top-10, O'Grady was named to the NEC All-Tournament team. As a team, the Mount notched its best finish since 1998 with a third-place standing.

new to the mountain... Freshman Ryan Triller joins the team for the 2011-12 season. The freshman made his collegiate debut at the Turning Stone Intercollegiate.

about the coach… Farrell, who enters his third season as the men's golf head coach and first as the women's golf head coach, guided the men's golf program to a third-place finish at the Northeast Conference Men's Golf Championships last season. It was the squad's best finish since the 1998 season. Under Farrell's tutelage, the men's golf team also finished second at the ECAC Championships (Oct. 1-2, 2010) and fourth in the Penn Quaker Invitational (Apr. 3-4, 2011) last season. In Farrell's first season, the men finished fourth at the NEC Championships. Farrell was a standout golfer on the Mountaineers men's golf team from 2004-08. He finished in the Top-10 at the NEC Championships in both his junior and senior seasons to earn spots on the All-NEC team.  Farrell is one of five players in team history to earn finish in the Top-10 at the NEC Championships twice in his career and his three-round score of 220 at the 2008 NEC Championships is still the record for three rounds at the NEC Championships. 

Mount NEC Tournament History

Top-10 Finishes
1990   Dennis Toomey        1st/149
            John Nelson          10th/165
1991   Dennis Toomey        1st/152
1992   Mike Langella        6th/160
             Nick Angelo          7th/161
1993   Nick Angelo          3rd^/53
1994   Mike Langella        6th/154
           Jim Albaugh          10th/158
1995   Matt Dobish          2nd/154
1996   Joe Kamnikar         6th/154
1998   Nick Montemarano     4th/145
             Chris Horgan         6th/146
2003   Andrew Hill          10th/148
2005   Andrew Hill          7th/154
2006   Jordan Bertoglio     9th/153
2007   Kevin Farrell        8th/226
2008   Kevin Farrell        8th/220
2009   Brad Gerick          9th/223
2011   Devin O'Grady       9th/222

Top-10 Individual One Round Scores
69     Jeff Kingsbury        2008
70     Nick Montemarano      1998
71     Justin Sick           2008
71     Dennis Toomey         1990
72     Devin O'Grady         2011
72     Brad Gerick           2010
72     Jeff Kingsbury        2010
72     Kevin Farrell         2008
72     Colby Jacobs          2003
72     Josh Leibreid         1998
72     Chris Horgan          1998

Top-10 Individual Two Round Scores
145    Devin O'Grady         2011
145    Jeff Kingsbury        2009
145    Kevin Farrell         2008
145    Nick Montemarano      1998
146    Jeff Kingsbury        2008
146    Chris Horgan          1998
148    Andrew Hill           2003
149    Terry Staubs          2003
149    Dennis Toomey         1990
150    Justin Sick           2008
151    Brad Gerick           2009
151    Kevin Farrell         2007

Top-10 Individual Three Round Scores
220    Kevin Farrell         2008
221    Jeff Kingsbury        2008
222    Devin O'Grady         2011
223    Brad Gerick           2009
225    Jeff Kingsbury        2009
226    Justin Sick           2008
226    Kevin Farrell         2007
228    Brad Gerick           2010
231    Dan Michalek          2010
231    Jake Wetzel           2008

Top-10 Team One Round Scores
295    2003   2nd Round
296    2008   1st Round
296    1998   2nd Round
297    2011   2nd Round
298    2008   2nd Round
302    2008   3rd Round
302    2007   2nd Round
304    2010   3rd Round
305    2009   1st Round
306    2010   1st Round
306    2007   1st Round

Top-10 Team Two Round Scores
594    2008
602    2011
608    2007
608    1998
609    2003
612    2009
617    2010
633    1993
638    2000
639    2006

Top-10 Team Three Round Scores
896    2008
914    2011
920    2009
921    2010
922    2007

All-Time NEC Finishes
1990   3rd656
1991   3rd/660
1991   4th/675 (fall)
1992   3rd/663
1993   3rd/633
1994   5th/644
1995   5th/680
1996   5th/643
1997   5th/659
1998   2nd/608
2000   8th/638
2001   10th/662
2002   10th/662
2003   4th/609
2004   8th/652
2005   6th/645
2006   7th/639
2007   7th/922
2008   4th/896
2009   7th/920
2010   4th/921
2011   3rd/914