MIDDLETOWN, Del. – Felician University posted a two-day score of 661 and settled for seventh place out of nine teams in the 2017-18 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Men's Golf Championship tournament, hosted by Wilmington (Del.) University on Sunday and Monday at Back Creek Golf Course.
Felician was in ninth place after Sunday's round upon carding a 324. With the ground moist at the beginning of an 8 a.m. shotgun start on Monday, only two of the nine teams improved their team scores on Day 2. Felician shot 337 on Monday, but moved up two slots in the final standings, passing the University of the Sciences and the Jefferson Rams. Both schools shot 323-348 to tie for eighth place with 671.
The Golden Falcons were 17 shots behind sixth-place Goldey-Beacom College (313-331-644).
The tournament marked the first time that the CACC Championship Tournament was held during the fall semester. League teams had played at most six round of competition before the tournament. One team, the host Wildcats, had yet to compete in 2017-18. Felician finished in fifth place, then out of 10 teams, in the 2016-17 CACC Tournament held in April.
Sophomore Jake Storako (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) was the only Felician entrant to finish in the top half of the field. Storako shot 78 on Sunday on the 7,157 par-71 course, then led the Golden Falcons on Monday with an 81. His 36-hole total of 159 tied for 21st place out of 45 competitors.
Junior Justin Keiser (Bellport, N.Y./Bellport) shot Felician's best single round of the tournament, a 76, on Day 1 and sat in a tie for 12th place. However, after Monday's 86, Keiser had to settle for a tie for 28th with 162.
Felician's seniors competed in their last conference championship event. Chris Bekefi (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) placed 31st with 81-83-164, and Andrew Capone (Denville, N.J./Parsippany Hills) signed for 89-87-176 and was 41st.
"The positive part about playing the conference tournament now is that it's not the end of our season," said 13th-year Felician head coach Ben DiNallo Jr. "We have some great events coming up this fall, culminating with the Donald Ross Intercollegiate in North Carolina. We look forward to the remainder of the fall, starting with Saint Rose on Friday and Saturday, and then the spring season. We have a lot of golf ahead of us."
Wilmington won its eighth consecutive CACC championship, believed to be a league record for any sport. The Wildcats were the only team to break 300 in the tournament. Their 287 on Sunday gave them an 18-stroke lead, and a 299 on Monday provided their final 20-stroke margin. Concordia (N.Y.) College junior Evan Hong was the individual champion, with a two-over-par performance (71-73-145)
The 2017-18 CACC All-Tournament Team consisted of Hong, Leonard Lee of Dominican (N.Y.) College, and four Wilmington players – Enrique Valverde, Joey Russo, Ryan Rucinski, and Braden McKay.
