DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Mount St. Mary's men's golf team leads the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championships after the first round thanks all five golfers carding a score of 76 or better on Friday. Sophomore Kevin Ellison (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) finished the afternoon in second place after a one-over round.
The Mount posted its fourth-best round in team history at the NEC Men's Golf Championships with a score of 297. The squad was the only team to shoot under 300 on the day and will go into the second round of competition four strokes ahead of Fairleigh Dickinson. The Mountaineers will be paired with the Knights and Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday.
Ellison posted five birdies and six bogeys in the first round to finish with a one-over score of 73. The sophomore fared better on the final nine holes after registering a one-under score of 35 on the back nine. Ellison is one stroke behind Leo Garcia from Sacred Heart, who was the only golfer to post an even round on the day.
Sophomore Devin O'Grady (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), who finished ninth last year in the event, posted a 74 in the first round to sit in fifth place after notching two birdies and four bogeys.
Senior Danny Michalek (Mount Airy, Md./Mount St. Joseph) and Tonny Aizpun (Barcelona, Spain/ Lycee Francais De Barcelone) also rank in the Top-10, placing ninth with a three-over round of 75. Aizpun was having the best day for the Mountaineers going into the 18th hole, sitting at one under with four birdies and three bogeys before hitting eight strokes on the par-four final hole. Michalek was four over on the front nine and was one under on the back nine for a three-over round.
Ryan Triller (Pylesville, Md./North Harford) is just outside the Top-10 after finishing in 12th place with a 76. The freshman posted an even total on the first nine holes and four-over on the back nine after two bogeys and a double bogey.
Mount St. Mary's leads the event with a 297, four strokes ahead of Fairleigh Dickinson (301) while Saint Francis (Pa.) (305), Robert Morris (309), Sacred Heart (309), LIU Brooklyn (314), Central Connecticut State (314), Monmouth (318), Wagner (328) and St. Francis (N.Y.) (345) round out the Top-10 field.
The Mount returns to action in the second round of the NEC Championships and will tentatively tee off at 8:00 a.m., 8:10 a.m., 8:20 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. on Saturday. The Mountaineers will start on the first tee and will be grouped with Fairleigh Dickinson and Saint Francis (Pa.).
