WATERTOWN, Conn. – Felician University senior Gonzalo Maldonado Felices (Almeria, Spain/Stella Maris) fired an even-par 71 on the second and final day of the 2021-22 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Men's Golf Championship tournament. The event was hosted by Post University on Monday and Tuesday at Watertown Golf Club.
The tournament was originally scheduled for 54 holes, but abbreviated to 36 when heavy rain allowed only one of the two scheduled rounds to be played on Monday. Maldonado Felices had carded a 78 on Monday on the 6,638-yard layout. His tournament score of 149 tied for sixth place out of 40 entrants.
Maldonado Felices' Day 2 score tied the Felician one-day record for the CACC Tournament, accomplished twice by Jake Storako. It was one shot shy of the overall school record of 70, which Maldonado Felices shares with Joe Peters. He also enjoyed his best career finish in the CACC Championship; he tied for seventh place as a freshman in 2018.
As a team, the Golden Falcons followed their 327 round on Monday with a 322 on Tuesday. Their tournament score of 649 left them in seventh place out of the eight competing schools. Felician was eight strokes behind sixth-place Chestnut Hill College.
Felician sophomore Nathan Sampson (Leeds, England/Crossley Heath School) also finished among the top half of the field. He was the team's top performer on Day 1 with a 76 and followed with 79 on Tuesday to tie for 16th place with 155.
Freshmen Kristian O'Grady (Thiells, N.Y./Albertus Magnus) and Brandon Mudrick (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill Valley) played in their first conference championship event. O'Grady shot 86-84—170 and tied for 33rd, while Mudrick signed for 94-88—182 and tied for 38th place. In between was sophomore Dylan Molloy (Spotswood, N.J./Spotswood), whose 87-89—176 was good for 37th place.
Wilmington (Del.) University won the CACC Championship for the 10th time in the last 12 years, claiming a tiebreaker over Goldey-Beacom College after both teams finished the event at 594 (+26). Goldey-Beacom sophomore Hunter McGee was the individual champion with 71-71—142. Maldonado Felices was three strokes away from earning All-Tournament status, accorded to the top five finishers plus ties.
Felician is next in action on Friday and Saturday at the College of Saint Rose Fall Shootout in Guilderland, N.Y.
