CASTLETON, Vt. – Sophomore
Ashton Lewis (Fairfield) and the Eastern Connecticut State University men's golf team completed a Little East Conference trifecta over the past 12 months Saturday by easily winning the 1
st Annual LEC Men's Golf Championship at the 6,200 yard, par-70 Rutland Country Club.
In its their first seasons last Oct. 19, Eastern and Lewis won the LEC Virtual Golf Championship, and followed that up last April by capturing the LEC Invitational at the Valley Country Club in Warwick, RI.
In the first official LEC Championship this weekend, the Warriors moved out to a 16-stroke lead after the first round Friday and finished and doubled that Saturday with a 32-stroke victory over host Castleton University. Eastern totalled 615 points (+55), with Castleton (+87) totalling 647, University of Southern Maine (+97) 657, Rhode Island College (+137) 697 and Western Connecticut State University (+236) 796.
With Lewis earning medalist honors with a 5-over 145 and sophomore
Jonah Dupuis (Hampton) only a stroke back, Eastern placed its five golfers among the Top 10. First-year golfer
Chris Davidson (New Milford) was fourth overall with a 20-over 160, and first-year golfer
Cal Angelo (Southington) and junior
Andrew Gromko (Canterbury) sharing tenth place at 25-over 165.
As the medalist playing in what is technically his first year (due to COVID last year), Lewis is recognized as both the LEC Player-of-the-Year and LEC Rookie-of-the-Year. As top five finishers, Lewis, Dupuis and Davidson are recognized as All-LEC.
After the first round Friday, Lewis stood at -4 but was +9 Saturday en route to the one-stroke win over Dupuis, who was 5-over Saturday after shooting 1-over Friday. Castleton junior Nicholas Ojala trailed Lewis by only a stroke after the first round but shot 12-over Saturday after his 3-under showing Friday and finished 9-over and three strokes back of Dupuis.
Davidson was 9-over Friday and 11-over Saturday for a +20, Angelo 12-over Friday and 13-over Saturday for a +25, and Gromko 11-over Friday and 14-over Saturday for a +25.
Eastern competes at the Mitchell College Invitational Wednesday at noon.
