Ravens medallist leads Ravens to third-place finish

CANDIA, N.H. (October 3, 2002) - Franklin Pierce junior Mike Smith (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) out-paced the field by three strokes to take home medallist honors at the Saint Anselm Autumn Invitational at the 6,307-yard, par-71 layout at Candia Woods Golf Links this afternoon.

Smith posted a one-over-par 72 to finish three-strokes ahead of Saint Anselm sophomore Ben Laramee, Endicott senior John Dailey and Bentley senior Brandon McDowell, who all posted identical rounds of 75.

Smith helped guide Franklin Pierce to a third-place finish at the six-team event with a program-record 311 team score, eclipsing the previous record of 313 set at the same event two years ago, but on a different course.

The Ravens finished just six-strokes behind team champion Endicott (305) and just a stroke behind University of New Hampshire (310). Franklin Pierce out-paced other NCAA Division II entries Saint Anselm (320) and Bentley (321), who recently placed third at the Northeast-10 Championship.

Two other Ravens posted scores in the 70's as junior captain Alex Hodgman (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) shot a round of 78 and classmate Paul Izzi (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) posted a 79. Sophomore Nick Matulonis (Springfield, Vt./Springfield) registered with an 82, while freshman David Reid (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth) checked in with a season-low 85.

The Ravens return to the links on Thursday, October 10, at the Western New England College Invitational at 10:30 a.m.