CRANSTON, R.I. – Endicott junior Austin Teal (Loudonville, N.Y.) was the best golfer on the 6,495-yard, par-71 Cranston Country Club course as his one-under 70 helped the Gulls to a tie for seventh place out of 21 teams at the Johnson & Wales Wildcat Spring Invitational. Endicott finished in a tie with fellow CCC member Western New England with a two-day total of 634, one stroke behind conference opponent Nichols (633).
The only tournament that remains on the spring schedule is the 2015 CCC Championships which will be held at the Beverly Golf & Tennis Club from April 25th-26th. The winner of this weekend's conference tournament will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. from May 12th-15th. Endicott captured the CCC's inaugural bid into the NCAA postseason in 2014 where Teal finished tied for ninth out of 210 individual golfers and earned all-american honors. The Gulls have won three straight CCC titles and five (2006, 2009, 2012-14) since the 2006 season.
Day one of the JWU Invitational had Endicott tied for 11th with Babson with freshman Drew Benshoff (Concord, Mass.) shooting a 79 to lead the five-man team. Teal struggled on day one with an 81 but his sub-par 70 on day two gave him a two-day total of 151, tied with Tufts' Owen Elliott for seventh among the 104-player field.
Sophomore Dan Negus (Pembroke, Mass.) was consistent in his two-day total of 159 (80, 79) as were junior Alex Viola (Brunswick, Maine) and freshman Ben Palazzo (Farmington, Conn.) who shot in the low 80s on both days. Benshoff shot an 82 on day two, three strokes off his day one total.
Tufts (310) won the tournament by four strokes over NESCAC rival Williams (614). Manhattanville (621) finished in third while Salem State and Middlebury tied for fourth place with a two-day score of 622. Tufts' Taylor Nordan was the tournament medalist after carding a 74 and a 71, one stroke better than Nichols golfer Kevin Wheeler.
