GUILDERLAND, N.Y. – Led by a consistent Andrew Geesey (Red Lion, Pa./Dallastown Area) and a resurgent Jordan Tackett (Fredericksburg, Va./Stafford), the Felician College men's golf team defeated an opponent for the first time this season at the College of Saint Rose Fall Shootout on Friday and Saturday. With a Day 2 322, Felician finished ninth in the 10-team event at Pinehaven Country Club.
Geesey, a sophomore, delivered an eight-over-par 79 on Friday on the 6,574-yard course. But as a team, the Golden Falcons slumped to a team 342, and sat in 10th place after Day 1. Their total left them 10 strokes back of ninth-place Saint Anselm College, and 11 Saint Michael's College and the host Golden Knights.
But, powered by Tackett's season-best 77, every member of Felician's starting five improved or stayed the same on Saturday. The Golden Falcons' tournament total of 664 allowed them to ease past Saint Michael's by three shots and finish ninth, just three strokes behind eighth-place Saint Anselm.
Tackett, a junior and first-year college player, played nine strokes better on Day 2 than on Friday, and his tournament total of 163 left him in a tie for 30th place out of 58 entrants. Geesey, however, remained Felician's No. 1 man. He tied for 18th place with his total of 79-78-157.
Geesey is averaging 77.3 for the season and has broken 80 in all seven of his rounds.
Freshman Justin Rasmus (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) tied for 36th place by shooting 83-82-165. Rasmus has scored between 82 and 85 in each of his last six rounds.
Rounding out the starting line-up were senior Chris Zito (South Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) (52nd, 94-85-179) and sophomore Kevin Berdnik (Clifton, N.J./DePaul Catholic) (T-55th, 94-94-188).
Le Moyne College easily won the team championship. Its 297-296-593 was 25 shots better than the second-place tandem of Dowling College and Franklin Pierce University. Le Moyne's John Clare won a one-hole playoff over teammate Aidan Fuller for medalist honors after each player completed 18 holes in 146 strokes (+4).
The Golden Falcons conclude their fall season on Tuesday at the one-day Griffin Invitational, hosted by Chestnut Hill College at Indian Valley Country Club in Telford, Pa.
