BREWSTER, MA – The Saint Joseph's College golf team capped the 2013 season with a 34th-place finish in the 79th Annual New England Intercollegiate Golf Association (NEIGA) Championship, which was held at The Captains Course on Sunday and Monday. Freshman Michael Caron (Gorham, Maine) finished in a tie for eighth out of 189 golfers, a field that included participants from NCAA DI, DII and DIII institutions, with a 150 (80-70) card.
Caron's effort ranks as the best performance ever posted by a Saint Joseph's player in the NEIGA Championship – an event in which the Monks have participated for the last 12 years. Prior to the 2013 event, no SJC golfer had placed in the top 10 individually and the prior top performance was recorded by Joe Manganaro '05, who finished 11th with a 155 (82-73) in the 2003 NEIGA Championship.
Also, Caron's 70 card in the second round on Monday counts as the lowest round score posted by any linker in the two-day tournament. Monte Mullen of Central Connecticut State, who captured medalist honors with a 143 (70-73) score, also notched a 70 card in the first round on Sunday.
Central Connecticut State claimed top team honors with a 597 (288-309) card, three strokes ahead of runner-up University of Rhode Island. Bryant University placed third (611, 298-313), Western New England earned the NCAA DIII crown with a 616 (300-316) card and Husson University rounded out the top five with a 619 (311-308) score.
Individually, Mullen and University of Rhode Island's Joseph Leavitt both shot a 143 in the tourney, but Mullen earned medalist accolades after defeating Leavitt on the second playoff hole. Husson's Bill Hutchins finished as the top DIII golfer and placed third with a 146 (74-72) card, Patrick Donahue of Western New England shot a 147 (72-75) was fourth and Rhode Island's Billy Walthouse capped the top five individuals with a 148 (73-75) score.
For the Monks, senior Kevin Richardson (Coventry, Conn.) finished in a tie for 74th with a 161 (85-76) score, senior Connor Rague (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) was 176th with a 187 (102-85) card, junior David Kapelson (Litchfield, N.H.) placed 179th with a 188 (97-91) effort, and freshman Andrew Berg (Fryeburg, Maine) posted a 208 (104-104) to finish 188th.
Save for a potential tournament in the spring, the final fall event signals the end of collegiate golf for senior Kevin Richardson, who posted four fine seasons and has been one of the most consistently strong golfers the SJC program has seen. Richardson played in 36 events with 20 top-10 finishes over his four years. The 2010 GNAC Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Conference honoree notched a program-best 28 sub-80 rounds during his career.
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 430-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.