MOUNT PARTICIPANTS: Ryan Triller, Danny Michalek, Tonny Aizpun, Kevin Ellison, Devin O'Grady
COMPETITION: Mount St. Mary's at Gary Freeman B-CU Spring Invitational
WHEN: Tue-Wed, Feb. 28-29, 2012
WHERE: Champions Course at LPGA International Golf Course, Dayton Beach, Fla.
COMPETING TEAMS: Bethune-Cookman, Benedict, Central Connecticut State, Edward Waters, Embry Riddle, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Hampton, UMES, Morehead State, Mount St. Mary's, Rollins, Savannah State, South Carolina State, Tampa, Towson, Universite Laval
2011 Team Champion: Bethune-Cookman (294-287-299=880)
2011 Individual Champion: Willie Mack III, Bethune-Cookman (72-67-71=210)
opening tee... The Mount men's golf team opens up the spring slate with its first trip to the Gary Freeman B-CU Spring Invitational on Tuesday and Wednesday.
last time out… Danny Michalek finished third to lead the Mount St. Mary's men's golf team to a second-place standing at the Holiday Inn Pittsburgh Airport Colonial Classic on Oct. 10-11, 2011. Michalek posted a pair of 74's in the two rounds to finish with a total of 148, five strokes behind the medalist. Tonny Aizpun (9th place, 152), Devin O'Grady (10th place, 154), Andrew Lawton (17th place, 159) and Kevin Ellison (23rd place, 163) rounded out the Mount's five competitors. Ryan Lee (34th place, 174) made his 2011-12 debut as an individual.
next on tap... The Mount will return to the green at the Lonnie Barton Spring Invitational on Mar. 5-6.
the schedule… The Mount will compete in five tournaments before the NEC Championships on May 4-6. The squad starts the spring with its first trip to the Gary Freeman B-CU Invitational on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mount St. Mary's remains in the south with a return trip to the Lonnie Barton Invitational on Mar. 5-6. The squad then heads to the Fireline Towson Invitational on Mar. 31-Apr. 1 before hosting the Mount St. Mary's Spring Invitational on Apr. 16-17. The Mountaineers tune up for the NEC Championships at the Navy Spring Invitational on Apr. 21-22.
nice start… The Mount finished second at the Rehoboth Beach Invitational on Sept. 26, marking the squad's best finish since placing second at the ECAC Championships on Oct. 1-2, 2010. The team has posted a team score of 300 or better eight of the 10 rounds this season. Sophomore Kevin Ellison became the first Mount golfer since Andrew Hill in 2003 to win and event after finishing as the medalist at the ECAC Championships and helping the team to its first team title since 2007. The squad concluded the fall with a second-place standing at the Robert Morris Pittsburgh Airport Colonial Classic on Oct. 11.
all-tournament returner… Sophomore Devin O'Grady finished ninth at the NEC Championships in 2011 to earn All-Tournament honors. It marks the 19th time in program history the Mount had a player place in the Top-10 while O'Grady becomes the 14th different player to accomplish the feat and the first since Brad Gerick in 2009, who also finished ninth in that event. The three-round score of 222 is the third-best three-round mark in the championships in program history. By finishing in the Top-10, O'Grady was named to the NEC All-Tournament team. As a team, the Mount notched its best finish since 1998 with a third-place standing.
new to the mountain... Freshman Ryan Triller joins the team for the 2011-12 season. The freshman made his collegiate debut at the Turning Stone Intercollegiate.
about the coach… Farrell, who enters his third season as the men's golf head coach and first as the women's golf head coach, guided the men's golf program to a third-place finish at the Northeast Conference Men's Golf Championships last season. It was the squad's best finish since the 1998 season. Under Farrell's tutelage, the men's golf team also finished second at the ECAC Championships (Oct. 1-2, 2010) and fourth in the Penn Quaker Invitational (Apr. 3-4, 2011) last season. In Farrell's first season, the men finished fourth at the NEC Championships. Farrell was a standout golfer on the Mountaineers men's golf team from 2004-08. He finished in the Top-10 at the NEC Championships in both his junior and senior seasons to earn spots on the All-NEC team. Farrell is one of five players in team history to earn finish in the Top-10 at the NEC Championships twice in his career and his three-round score of 220 at the 2008 NEC Championships is still the record for three rounds at the NEC Championships.
