DANIELS, W.Va. (May 9, 2018) – The no. 8 regionally-ranked Franklin Pierce University men's golf team shocked the field of 20 NCAA Division II programs Wednesday by finishing in second place at the Atlantic/East Regional. Franklin Pierce was one of three teams to move on to the NCAA Division II Championships following a strong three rounds of golf at the Resort at Glade Springs – Cobb Course. The Ravens never fell below second place on the team leaderboard across the 54 holes.

The Crimson and Grey headed into competition Wednesday as the clubhouse leaders at 591 (+15) and shot only 11 over par (299) during the final round, but no. 6 east regionally-ranked Roberts Wesleyan College climbed five spots in the ranking to first place after tallying a one over par performance to defeat FPU by only one stroke. No. 1 Atlantic seeded Charleston (W. Va.) jumped two spots into third to claim the final bid to the big dance. The National Championship will be held from Monday, May 21st to Friday, May 25th at The Shoals Golf Club in Muscle Shoals, Ala.

"It was a blast watching these guys play out there today and see them perform so well under pressure," said assistant coach C.J. Konkowski. "There was a bit of a bittersweet feeling at the end of the day, finishing second by a shot, but I'm so proud of what they've accomplished. They hit so many great shots under pressure and we achieved the goal we set at the beginning of the season, qualifying for nationals. The hard work paid off this week and it'll be fun to see how far we can take this run at nationals."

FPU led the field of 20 programs in par 4 scoring averaging 4.13 (+20). The next closest program, St. Thomas Aquinas College averaged 4.22 and was 33 over. The Ravens were also tied for third in total birdies (36) and tied for second in eagles (3).

Sam Myers (Colchester, Vt.) and Taylor Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.) carried the Ravens with a pair of top-15 performances. Myers tied for ninth place at 220 (+4) while the sophomore shot a team-low 70 (-2) Monday to go along with 13 total birdies, the second most in the field. Simpson, on the other hand, was a consistent presence from the number five spot tying for 12th place with a 221 (+5) scorecard. The senior led the Ravens across the final round Wednesday at 73 (+1) and had a key approach shot from the 17th tee, a par 3 hole, which set up a clutch birdie, a few inches from the cup.

Keeton Foster (Spofford, N.H.) scored a 225 (+9) across the three days totaling a team-low 72 (E) on Tuesday including an 80-foot eagle putt on the fifth green. Dylan Plis (Camillus, N.Y.) knocked off five strokes from his Tuesday card to complete his 18 Wednesday at 75 (+3). Plis concluded the tourney at 228 (+12).

Liam Donohue (Vernon, Conn.) improved every round for FPU. Monday and Tuesday, the sophomore struggled on the back nine, but he conquered the final holes when it counted Wednesday as he buried a long eagle putt on the 12th hole, a par 5 501-yard challenge. Donohue tallied an 81 (+9) Monday, a 77 (+5) Tuesday and a 75 (+3), Wednesday all adding up to 223 (+17).

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).