ECAC DIII NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
SOUTHWICK, Mass.- Competing in their third tournament of the week, the Endicott men's golf team took third place at the two-day ECAC DIII New England Championships held at The Ranch Golf Club, a par 72, 6,588 yard course.
The Gulls were led by Drew Benshoff (Concord, Mass.) and Ben Palazzo (Farmington, Conn.) as the sophomores were named 2nd Team All-Tournament. For Benshoff, the distinction came following his two day four-over performance of 148. He shot identical rounds of 74 to finish sixth overall in the 70 golfer field. Palazzo was just behind, tying for seventh with a two-day total of 150. The Connecticut native posted rounds of 73 and 77 at the Championship on his way to his first All-Tournament recognition.
There was then a trio of Gulls that all finished within one stroke of each other. Junior Dan Negus (Pembroke, Mass.) led that trio as he finished in a tie for 15th with rounds of 76 and 79 for a two-day total of 155. Senior Austin Teal (Loudonville, N.Y.) and junior Alex Viola (Brunswick, Maine) both tied for 18th as they finished with scores of 156. Teal carded rounds of 80 and 76 while Viola also saw a day two improvement, dropping his first day score of 79 to a 77.
BEHIND THE CARD
- The sixth place finish for Benshoff was his second best of the season as he previously finished fourth at the Newbury Kickoff Classic to start the season. It was his third top-10 finish overall as he also finished tied for 10th at the Duke Nelson Invitational.
- The seventh place finish was the second top-10 performance of the season for Palazzo as the sophomore finished fifth at the Bowdoin Invitational earlier in the fall.
- The third place team finish was a two place improvement over last season's ECAC DIII New England Championships in which the Gulls tied for fifth at the Crumpin Fox Golf Club.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Gulls have two weeks to ready for the prestigious NEIGA Championship which sees the Gulls take on the top talent in the region across all three NCAA divisions. Endicott took seventh out of 22 squads in 2014 as they look to close the fall season having finished every event with a top-10 showing. The three-day event begins on Saturday, November 24 at The Captains Course in Brewster, Mass. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
