Men’s Golf On the Brink of a NCAA Championship Berth, Lead Field of 20 Squads Heading Into Final Round
DANIELS, W.Va. (May 8, 2018) – The no. 8 regionally-ranked Franklin Pierce University men's golf team is just 18 holes away from their first-ever NCAA Championship bid following two rounds at the 2018 NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional hosted by the Mountain East Conference.
Following one of their best rounds in program history (291, +3), the Crimson and Grey shot an even 300 (+12) Tuesday afternoon to hold a two-round score of 591 (+15) as they climbed into the top spot in the 20 team rankings. No. 9 Concordia College (N.Y.) jumped seven slots into second place and are only one stroke behind the Ravens for first. Atlantic Region no. 2 Indiana University of Pennsylvania sits in third at 593 (+17) while fellow Northeast-10 Conference program no. 2 Le Moyne College ranks fourth at 594 (+18). The top-five schools are only four strokes behind each other and only three teams get to advance to the Championship round.
As a team, the Ravens lead all squads at par 4 scoring (4.14, +14), rank second in total birdies (25) and are tied for second in eagles (2).
"The guys did a great job grinding out a solid round today," said assistant coach C.J. Konkowski. "They stayed with it all day and we're right where we want to be. We're just going to stay patient tomorrow and go out there and have some fun."
Keeton Foster (Spofford, N.H.) improved 47 places on the individual leaderboard for the Ravens as he led FPU from the one spot during round two at an even 72. Foster recorded a strong front nine as he eagled the par 5 fifth hole by cupping home an 80-foot putt.
Sam Myers (Colchester, Vt.) tacked on only four strokes from his round one total as he shot a 74 (+2) and is even (144) over the two rounds. Myers is tied for fifth on the individual leaderboard while still leading all golfers in total birdies (10) and ranking third in par 5 scoring (4.50, -4).
Liam Donohue (Vernon, Conn.) improved his second day showing by carding a 77 (+5) knocking off four strokes from his Monday total. Taylor Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.) and Dylan Plis (Camillus, N.Y.) also contributed to the Ravens success shooting 77 (+5) and 80 (+8) respectively. Simpson is tied for third in par 4 scoring (4.00, E).
Following a reseeding, Donohue and the Ravens will be looking to continue their impressive play when they tee off from hole one tomorrow at 12:50 p.m.
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 apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store). You can also follow the golf programs on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FPU_GOLF).
