DANIELS, W.Va. (May 10, 2017) – Competing in their second ever NCAA Division II East/Atlantic Regional, the Franklin Pierce University men's golf finished in 16th place on Wednesday at the Glade Spring Resort in Daniels, W.Va.

The Crimson and Grey bettered their standing after a 20th place finish during Division II Regionals at the East Course of the Hershey Country Club in Hershey Pa. in May of 2012. FPU concluded their three rounds at 925 (+61) as a team on the par 72, 7,114 yard Cobb Course while batting through tough conditions throughout the week. Dominican College 899 (+35), Saint Thomas Aquinas (900, +36), Charleston (903, +39) and Le Moyne College (904, +40) all advanced to the National Championships.

Golfing from the one spot, freshman Sam Myers (Colchester, Vt.) was the Ravens best golfer over the three days as he turned in a 223 (+7) scorecard which put him in a tie for seventh place overall on the individual leaderboard. He missed out on an individual Championship birth by seven and six strokes respectively, however Myers ranked fourth in par-4 scoring (+1) and third in total pars (35).

Junior Taylor Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.) finished within the week's top-50 as he tied for 40th place at 231 (+15). Keeton Foster (Chesterfield, N.H.) drew a 235 (+19) while team captain Tom Arisco (Cheshire, Conn.) (239, +23) and Liam Donohue (Vernon, Conn.) (241, +25) rounded out the Raven performances.

Day One – Monday

The Ravens teed off at 8:20 a.m. Monday morning as Arisco stepped into the box to begin the tournament. The squad finished their first round at around 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon at 310 (+22) which put the Crimson and Grey into a tie for 11th place out of 20 teams. Mercyhurst University (298, +10), Dominican College (300, +12), Saint Thomas Aquinas (301, +13) and California (Pa.) (302, +14) were the top four squads.

Myers led the charge for FPU as he completed his scorecard at 73 (+1) which was a tie for the sixth best score overall. He ranked in a tie for third with 13 total pars with seven other golfers. As a team, the Ravens were knotted up with Northeast-10 Conference foe the College of Saint Rose for fifth at 52 total pars.

From the second position Foster chalked up a 78 (+6) round. Simpson golfed a 79 (+7) while Arisco added an 80 (+8) and Donohue concluded the afternoon at 84 (+12).

Day Two – Tuesday

The Crimson and Grey tallied a 302 (+14) as they dropped eight strokes off their first round score. The eight stroke improvement catapulted the Ravens from 11th to eighth place at 612 (+36) as the weather on the afternoon seemed to play in favor of FPU. Franklin Pierce was behind Wilmington (Del.) by eight strokes for the last National birth.

Myers continued his dominance of the course with a 74 (+2) showing and he gained a spot in the individual standings from sixth to fifth at 147 (+3). Myers ranks second of all golfers in the tournament with 25 total pars. 

The other four Raven golfers took off strokes from their day one scorecard. Simpson was the most improved golfer on the day as he knocked off a team-high six strokes of his first round 79 (+7) to a 73 (+1). Donohue picked up five strokes to score a 79 (+7) on his second 18. Foster (76, +4) and Arisco (79, +7) also were key factors in their squads improved standing.

Day Three – Wednesday

Since the Ravens were one of the top-10 teams heading into the final round they were afforded a late tee-time as Donohue teed off right on the dot at noon on the back nine. The Ravens dropped eight places in the overall standings to finish 16th as four of the five golfers would add strokes to their previous scores. Donohue was the only Raven to drop strokes as he cut off one strokes from his second day 79 (+7) to a 78 (+6).

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce golf athletic apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).