STANDISH, ME – The Saint Joseph's golf team looks to be very competitive this fall with the help of the returner's continued development and the addition of two impressive newcomers.

Last fall the Monks hosted the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship tournament at the Gorham Country Club and placed fifth overall with a 632 team card - the lowest score ever posted by a Saint Joseph's squad an 18-hole GNAC Championship. Led by ninth-year Head Coach Jamie Smyth '92, the 2012 squad has set its sights on a higher finish in this year's conference tournament.

Junior co-captain Kevin Richardson (Coventry, Conn.) is expected to lead the Royal Blue, on and off the course as well as on the scorecard, and is coming off another fine season. Richardson, the 2010 GNAC Rookie of the Year, notched his first college medalist honor in a team victory over University of Southern Maine on September 1st and went on to post three additional top-10 finishes last fall.

Other top returners include senior co-captain Jake Brown (Lewiston, Maine) and sophomore Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine). Brown seems poised to have a memorable senior season after showing considerable improvement last year while Simonds, the GNAC Rookie of the Week honoree on September 19th, could develop into one of the Monks' best linkers, perhaps as early as this fall.

If the Monks are to improve their position in the GNAC Championship they will do so without the services of two departed seniors: TJ Garske and Ebb Walton. The duo combined to play in 12 events with three top-10 finishes a year ago.

A pair of first-year golfers, freshman Ryan Berard (Millville, Mass.) and senior Sean Drake (Lebanon, N.H.), will attempt to fill the void created with the departure of Garske and Walton. Both newcomers have performed well in preseason play and seem ready to contribute right away.

The 2012 campaign begins on Friday, August 31st when St. Joe's plays University of Southern Maine in a dual match at Gorham Country Club.