Eastern captured the Little East Conference men's golf championship for the third straight year at Riverside Golf Course in Portland ME Thursdsay and Friday. Team members include (from left) assistant coach Andrew Gromko, Jake Napolitan, Matthew Orefice, Ashton Lewis, Nick DiNino, Chris Davidson and head coach Marc Senia. Lewis earned medalist honors for the third straight year by rallying on the second day to shoot the low round of the championship with a five-under round of 65 to finish at 1-over 141.
PORTLAND, Maine - For the third time in as many years, Eastern Connecticut State University is the Little East Conference Men's Golf Championship Champion after registering a two-day team total of 590 at Riverside Golf Course. The championship was hosted by the University of Southern Maine.
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Eastern senior co-captain All-America
Ashton Lewis (Fairfield) came from behind to earn medalist honors for the third consecutive season. He was tied for fifth with a six-over 76 following the opening day of competition, and responded by firing the low round of championship in the second with a five-under round of 65, giving him a two-day score 141.
Eastern's top four players all finished within the Top 10, thus earning All-LEC recognition.
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Lewis was one of three Eastern players to earn first team All-LEC honors by virture of a top-five individual finish. Junior co-captain
Chris Davidson (New Milford) and junior
Matthew Orefice (Niantic) also earned the honor by tying for fourth with an eight-over 148 - both shot an 76 on day-one and a 72 on day-two. Vermont State University Castleton's Brady Hathorn (73, 73) and Rhode Island College's Jasper Bruin Slot (70, 76) tied for second with a six-over 146.
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Second-team All-LEC honors went to Keene State's Sean Bonneau (150) and Caden Capaldo (155), Southern Maine's Zach Elsworth (153), Eastern sophomore
Nick DiNino (Glastonbury) (154) and RIC's Cameron Mello (155). DiNino was eighth in the field of 30 golfers with a 154.
Eastern's fifth finisher was sophomore
Jake Napolitan (Agawam, MA), who shared 11th place with a 156.
Keene State placed second in the final team standings, marking the program's best-ever LEC Championship finish after posting a two-day total of 619. Vermont State Castleton was third in the team standing with a 633.
With the team victory, Eastern earns the automatic bid awarded the conference championship team and will compete in the NCAA Division III tournament for the second straight year. The tournament is scheduled to be played May 14-17 at Boulder Creek (NV) Golf Club.
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FINAL TEAM LEADERBOARD
1.
Eastern Connecticut - 590 (303, 287)
2. Keene State - 619 (308, 311)
3. Vermont State Castleton - 633 (321, 312)
4. Southern Maine - 643 (326, 317)
5. Rhode Island College - 645 (321, 324)
6. Western Connecticut - 655 (327, 328)
