Men's Golf | 10/3/2019 8:00:00 AM
Six programs will vie for the 2019 Empire 8 Fall Golf Championship, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6 from Seven Oaks Golf Club on the campus of Colgate University.
St. John Fisher College will look to win its tenth straight Empire 8 title, as the 2019-20 league champion is determined from results of the Fall Championship, followed up by the Spring Championship, which will take place on April 18-19, 2020 at Hershey Country Club.
St. John Fisher enters the fall championship having last competed at the Mason-Dixon Collegiate Classic on Sept. 28-29. Senior Colin McGaugh finished tied for fifth in the event with a score of 149 (+5) over the two-day event to earn Empire 8 Men’s Golfer of the Week honors on Sept. 30. He was also an All-Empire 8 first team selection in 2018-19. The Cardinals also finished second at the St. John Fisher Invitational on Sept. 6-7 and competed at the NCAA Division III Fall Preview in Palm Beach, Fla. on Sept. 14-15. St. John Fisher will also look to receive strong contributions from Andrew Card, Peter Francomano, Deion Shepherd, Chase Robbins and Michael Dugan.
Oswego State, the 2019 Empire 8 runner-up, is off to a tremendous start in 2019-20. The Lakers won the St. John Fisher Invitational on Sept. 6-7, Keuka Invitational on Sept. 11 and Elmira College Fall Invitational on Sept. 24. Senior Erik Schleicher, the Empire 8 Golfer of the Week on Sept. 16, was the individual medalist at the Keuka Invitational, while sophomore Ryan Fecco was the individual medalist at the Elmira Invitational. Daniel Mort, Dean Matthews and Joe Marszalek have all been solid contributors so far this season.
Utica rallied to win the Utica College Invitational on Sept. 21-22 and finished third at both Keuka and Elmira’s one-day tournaments. Senior Josh Kienz, the 2017 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, was named E8 Golfer of the Week on Sept. 9 after a strong finish at the St. Lawrence Invitational. He was also runner-up at the Elmira and Utica Invitationals. Joe Miga, a 2019 All-Empire 8 second team pick, earned E8 Golfer of the Week accolades on Sept. 23 after finishing tied with Kienz for second at the Utica Invitational. Brandon Young, Donovan Ott, Casey Rich, Ian Schaaf and Mason Munger are all capable of shooting low rounds for the Pioneers.
Nazareth’s Jake Costa was the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, having also earned All-E8 first team accolades. He will be counted to lead the Golden Flyers. The Golden Flyers will also look for low scores from juniors Stephen Gabel and Vincent Leblond.
Elmira has competed in six invitationals this season, claiming the team title at the SUNY Cobleskill Invitational on Sept. 6. First-year Jake VanHouse, the Empire 8 Golfer of the Week on Sept. 3 and junior Matt McGaugh have emerged as the top pair of linksmen for the Soaring Eagles. McGaugh, younger brother of Fisher’s Colin McGaugh, was a top-10 finisher at the Oswego Invitational last weekend. Henry Clevelend, Alex Crysler and Derek Countryman have also shown flashes of brilliance early this season.
Sage enters the Empire 8 Championship having finished third at the Cobleskill Invitational on Sept. 6, while also competing at the Elmira and Oswego Invitationals in late September. Junior Blake Pritchard was the individual medalist at Cobleskill. Connor Affinito, Stuart Phair, Tyler Schnaible and Jared Almy will also be counted on to contribute this weekend.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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