WATERTOWN, Conn. – Senior Gonzalo Maldonado Felices (Almeria, Spain/Stella Maris) led Felician University with a 13-over-par total of 226 for three rounds at the Post University Eagles Men's Golf Invitational, held Monday and Tuesday at Watertown Golf Club. His score tied for the second-best 54-hole tournament score in Felician history.
The tournament format called for two rounds on Monday with the 18-hole finale on Tuesday. The event contained 14 schools from the NCAA Division II East Region, including the Golden Falcons, the host Eagles, and two other members of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
Felician signed for a 327 team score for Monday morning's round and sat in 12th place. The Golden Falcons improved to 317 on Monday afternoon, but fell one spot in the standings. After Tuesday's 329, Felician tied with Saint Michael's College for 13th place, both with 968. The College of Saint Rose finished 12th, accumulating 959 strokes.
Maldonado Felices carded rounds of 74 and 76 on Monday and was tied for 19th place out of 81 individual entrants. After another 76 on Tuesday, he settled for a tie for 23rd.
Maldonado Felices was the only Golden Falcon among the top half of the field. Sophomore Nathan Sampson (Leeds, England/Crossley Heath School) sat 34th after Monday rounds of 77 and 76 but slipped to a tie for 44th following his 82 on Tuesday for a total of 235.
Also competing for Felician were sophomore Dylan Molloy (Spotswood, N.J./Spotswood) (T-71st, 81-82-86--249) and freshmen Kristian O'Grady (Thiells, N.Y./Albertus Magnus) (80th, 90-90-85--265) and Brandon Mudrick (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill Valley) (81st, 94-83-96--273).
Southern New Hampshire University won the event. The Penmen's total of 865 (290-285-290) was 13 shots better than runner up Post. SNHU's Jack Pepin defeated teammate A.J. Cavotta and Assumption College's Sean Magarian for medalist honors, 212-215.
Jake Storako holds the Felician 54-hole record of 220 (73-75-72) at SNHU's Penmen Fall Invitational in 2019. Joe Leardo also recorded a 226 at the 2011 NCAA Atlantic/East Regional.
The Golden Falcons were playing in a 54-hole tournament for the third time in the last four falls in which they competed.
Felician will conclude the fall portion of its 2021-22 campaign by participating in the Lehigh University Invitational on Oct. 22-23 in Bethlehem, Pa.