VICTOR, N.Y. – Felician University redshirt junior Gonzalo Maldonado Felices (Almeria, Spain/Stella Maris) tied for 24th place out of 108 participants at the 2022 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Atlantic/East Regional Championship tournament, hosted by Le Moyne College on Thursday through Saturday at Ravenwood Golf Club.
Maldonado Felices was one of four players selected by the Division II Men's Golf Committee as an individual qualifier from the East Region. He recorded a seven-over-par tournament score of 223 during the three-day 54-hole event. On the 7,083-yard, par-72 layout, he carded individual rounds of 74 on Thursday, 75 on Friday, and 74 on Saturday.
"It was a phenomenal experience," Maldonado Felices said. "It was a bit windy, but the course was fantastic and in really good condition, my playing partners were great, and the level of play was high. There were some individual moments that stood out – such as my eagle on the sixth hole of the second day – but mostly I scrambled well and my short game saved me many times."
Maldonado Felices was the third Golden Falcon to reach NCAA Regionals in the program's 17-year history, representing the fourth occasion. Joe Leardo qualified twice, in 2010 and 2011, and Andrew Geesey did so in 2016. Maldonado Felices' performance represents both the best placement and score in the event by a Felician player. Leardo tied for 28th with a 226 during his 2011 trip. A complete listing of Golden Falcon regional performances is available at https://felicianathletics.com/sports/mgolf/archive/regionals.
Maldonado Felices has announced an intention to return to the Golden Falcons in 2022-23 to take advantage of an NCAA career extension granted due to the 2019-20 season being abbreviated by the COVID-19 public health crisis.
"I would love to see us make this tournament as a team next year," he said. "I am just one small piece of this. I am trying to contribute as much as I can to our school and our athletics department. Maybe this milestone will help contribute to the future of the program."
Complete results can be viewed at https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=player&tid=25428.
