STANDISH, ME – With several key golfers returning and the addition of a talented freshman class, the Saint Joseph's College golf team figures to improve on last season's sixth-place finish in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship this fall.
Head Coach Jamie Smyth '92, now in his 10th season at the helm, will look to seniors Kevin Richardson (Coventry, Conn.) and Jake Brown (Lewiston, Maine), to lead the way this year. Richardson, a two-time All-Conference honoree, registered six top-10 finishes a year ago and placed sixth with a 162 card in the GNAC Tournament on October 20th and 21st. Brown, who battled through injuries last fall and will resume play midway through this season after a lengthy recovery, has been a consistent contributor for the Royal Blue and recorded a pair of top-10 efforts as a sophomore.
Sophomore Ryan Berard (Millville, Mass.) also returns and looks to improve on his solid freshman campaign. Berard, the GNAC Rookie of the Week recipient on September 10th last fall, posted three top-10 finishes during his first NCAA season and was the Monks' top scorer with an 83 card in the Maine-Farmington Invitational on September 13th.
Senior Colin Finn (North Easton, Mass.) and junior David Kapelson (Litchfield, N.H.) close out the group of returning players. Finn participated in seven events as a junior while Kapelson played in three tournaments during his sophomore campaign.
A trio of newcomers dots the 2013 St. Joe's golf roster and all three are expected to contribute immediately. Michael Caron (Gorham, Maine), the 2012 Maine Class A champion, headlines the young group while Andrew Berg (Fryeburg, Maine) and John Marcous (Turner, Maine) also add talent and depth to the program.
The incoming class will be asked to fill the shoes left empty by departed seniors Sean Drake (Lebanon, N.H.) and Nick Zwald (Campton, N.H.). The pair combined to play in 12 events last fall with six top-20 efforts, collectively.
The 2013 campaign begins on Friday, August 30th when St. Joe's plays University of Southern Maine in a dual match at Gorham Country Club.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
