SUFFERN, N.Y. – The Felician University men's golf team finished fifth out of eight teams at the 10h Annual Charger Challenge, hosted by Dominican (N.Y.) College on Saturday and Sunday at Spook Rock Golf Course.
The event was Felician's last chance to tune up for the upcoming Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship tournament, to be contested Oct. 1 and 2 in Middletown, Del. The CACC Championship is being played in the fall semester for the first time.
The Charger Challenge provided somewhat of a preview for the CACC event. Seven of the nine CACC golf-playing members attended this weekend. Only one non-CACC school, St. Thomas Aquinas College, was part of the Charger Challenge field.
Senior Andrew Capone (Denville, N.J./Parsippany Hills) was the only Golden Falcon to break 80 on both days of this weekend's tournament. He shot 79 on Saturday and backed it up with a team-best 78 on Sunday. His 157 tied him for 24th place out of 49 entrants.
Tying with Capone in 24th was Felician sophomore Jake Storako (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional). Storako turned in the Golden Falcons' best individual round of the event, carding a 76 on Saturday on the 6,806-yard par-72. But he struggled to an 81 on Sunday and also finished at 157.
Junior Justin Keiser (Bellport, N.Y./Bellport) shot 80-84-164 and tied for 35th. Rounding out the Felician line-up were seniors Chris Bekefi (Toms River, N.J/Toms River North) (43rd, 85-84-169), and Tommy Giunta (Jackson, N.J./Marlboro) (T-44th, 86-84-170). Giunta was making his season debut.
The Golden Falcons were in fifth place after Day 1 with their team score of 320. On Sunday, they were passed by Chestnut Hill College but moved ahead of the Jefferson Rams and remained fifth. Felician shot 327 on Sunday for a tournament score of 647. It finished 13 shots behind fourth-place Chestnut Hill and held off sixth-place Goldey-Beacom College by two strokes.
The host Chargers shot 283 on Sunday, 16 strokes better than anyone else, to win the tournament by 12 shots over runner-up St. Thomas Aquinas (585 to 597). Dominican junior Leonard Lee was the medalist with a two-under-par total of 72-70-142.
