Nighthawks Honored at Golf Championship

BROCKTON, Mass. -- The young Newbury College golf team capped off an impressive season by earning the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Sportsmanship Award at the conference tournament Sunday afternoon. The Nighthawks finished in fifth place with a two day combined score of 670 (338 - 332). First year Head Coach Garrett Quinn was named the 2011 Coach of the Year by the six other NECC head coaches, helping to guide Newbury to their best finish the conference tournament.

Babson College senior captain Joe Young (Westwood, Mass.) outdueled junior teammate Wesley Tryhane (Stamford, Conn.) in a two-hole playoff to earn Golfer of the Year honors as the duo helped the Beavers claim the 2011 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Men's Golf Championship at D.W. Field Golf Course on Sunday. With their second NECC title in three years, the Beavers also secure the league's first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Babson's two-day team score of 592 was 16 strokes ahead of runner-up Elms College, which finished second with a score of 608. Springfield College followed in third place at 619.

The tournament leader after carding an opening round 69 on Saturday, Young fired a 75 in the second round to finish atop the leaderboard with a two-day total of 144. Tryhane then tied his teammate by following up his opening-round 71 with a 73 on Sunday, forcing the two to go to extra holes to determine medalist and NECC Golfer of the Year honors. Each player shot par on the first playoff hole before Young secured his second straight conference Golfer of the Year award by birdying the second.

Elms sophomore Henry Fall (Harpswell, Maine) carded the low round of the day on Sunday, shooting 70 to finish in third place with a combined score of 146. Elms first-year Nicholas Smith (Enfield, Conn.) and Springfield junior Kyle DiFranco (East Longmeadow, Mass.) followed in a tie for fourth with two-day totals of 150, as they joined Young, Tryhane, and Fall on the NECC All-Conference First Team. In addition, Smith was named NECC Rookie of the Year after finishing first among the league's freshmen competitors.

Rounding out the top ten and comprising the All-Conference Second Team were Babson sophomore Will Weimar (Nesconset, N.Y.), who finished sixth with a two-round total of 151, Babson sophomore Kenny Chong (North Bergen, N.J.) and Springfield junior Ryne McEvoy (Accord, N.Y.), who tied for seventh with a 154, and Elms junior Philip Rurak (Wilbraham, Mass.), Becker first-year John Lento (Estero, Fla.), and Daniel Webster senior Michael Fuller (Chelmsford, Mass.), who finished in a three-way tie for ninth with a 155.

This marked the first time in the NECC's four-year history of sponsoring a men's golf championship that the event winner was awarded an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The trip will be Babson's eighth to the national tourney, which will take place at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina on May 10-13, 2012.

2011 NECC MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

TEAM CHAMPION: Babson College

GOLFER OF THE YEAR: Joe Young, Babson College

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Nicholas Smith, Elms College

COACH OF THE YEAR: Garrett Quinn, Newbury College

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Newbury College

TEAM RESULTS

1. Babson College, 289-303--592

2. Elms College, 298-310--608

3. Springfield College, 304-315--619

4. Becker College, 337-319--656

5. Newbury College, 338-332--670

6. Daniel Webster College, 350-334--684

7. Mitchell College, No Team Score

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

NECC All-Conference First Team

T1. Joe Young, Babson College                     69-75--144 (wins in playoff)

T1. Wesley Tryhane, Babson College            71-73--144

3. Henry Fall, Elms College                            76-70--146

T4. Nicholas Smith, Elms College                   72-78--150

T4. Kyle DiFranco, Springfield College           73-77--150

NECC All-Conference Second Team

6. Will Weimar, Babson College                   73-78--151

T7. Kenny Chong, Babson College               76-78--154

T7. Ryne McEvoy, Springfield College           77-77--154

T9. Phil Rurak, Elms College                         75-80--155

T9. Michael Fuller, Daniel Webster               77-78--155

T9. John Lento, Becker College                    80-75--155

- Story provided by: Chris Buck, Sports Information Director - Babson College