WEST REDDING, Conn. – Defending Little East Conference medalist
Ethan McDaniel (Orange) shot par or better on 12 of 18 holes but was the only Eastern Connecticut State University player among the Top 10 after the first day of the LEC Championships Thursday at the par-71 Redding Country Club.
McDaniel, who came from seven strokes back after the first day to become the program's fourth medalist in the four-year history of the championship a year ago, is only four strokes back of co-leaders Keenan Buteau of defending team champion University of Southern Maine and senior Jasper Bruins Slot of Rhode Island College.
A second-year player, McDaniel finished the first day at 11-over 82, with Buteau and Bruins Slot sharing first place at 7-over 78. Southern Maine sophomore Alex Fournier is one stroke ahead of McDaniel after shooting 10-over 81 after 18 holes.
The Warriors who won the first three LEC championships before finishing second by three strokes to Southern Maine last year at the Keene Country Club, are in third place in the six-team field after the first day with a 70-over par 354, one stroke ahead of Keene State (71-over 355). Southern Maine (51-over 335) takes a 16-stroke lead into Friday's 18-hole finale. Rhode Island College, last a year ago, is second (67-over 351).
Eastern returns three of the five players who competed a year ago in the championship. Senior
Nick DiNino (Glastonbury), who earned first-team All-LEC honors with a fourth-place finish last year, shares 12
th with Ryan Gervais of Rhode Island in the 30-player field, with junior
Ryan O'Donnell (Southington) in a four-way tie for 16
th, senior
Jake Napolitan (Agawam, MA) in a two-way tie for 20
th and sophomore
Drew Johnson (Gloucester, MA) in a two-way tie for 22
nd.
DiNino is 18-over 89, O'Donnell 20-over 91, Napolitan 21-over 92, and Johnson 23-over 94.
On the day, Eastern players managed five birdies – McDaniel and DiNino with two each – but the cold and blustery conditions played a role in the team combining to shoot bogie or worse on 56 of 90 holes.
McDaniel shot par 5-over 41 on the front nine and six-over 41 on the back; DiNino 7-over on the front and 11-over on the back; O'Donnell 7-over on the front and 13-over on the back; Napolitan 12-over on the front and 9-over on the back; and Johnson 6-over on the front and 17-over on the back.
Buteau of Southern Maine shot 1-over on the front nine and 6-over on the back nine. He shot par on each of the first four holes and bogied the final four holes; Bruins-Slot, a second-team All-LEC player last year with a seventh-place finish, also shot 1-over on the front nine and 6-over on the back nine. He shot par or better on seven holes of the front nine and parred three of the final four holes on the back nine. Southern Maine's second golfer, Fournier, was a second-team All-LEC performer last year with a ninth-place finish. Sophomore Jaden Pourier, three strokes off McDaniel's pace last year with an even-par effort, is Southern Maine's third golf, sharing ninth place at 17-over 88.
Play continues Friday at 9 a.m. McDaniel, Bruins Slot of Rhode Island and Alex Grant of Southern Maine are scheduled to tee off at 10:30. Johnson is Eastern's first player off the tee, with a 9:50 start in a threesome with Buteau and Ryan Gervais of Rhode Island; Napolitan is matched with Brady Pongvongkeo of Rhode Island and Finnegan Sharpe of Southern Maine at 10; DiNino will tee off at 10:10 along with Fournier of Southern Maine and Kyle Cullen of Rhode Island; and O'Donnell is matched with Mike Decesare of Rhode Island and Poirier of Southern Maine in a 10:20 start.
