BREWSTER, Mass. – Freshman
Ben Fecteau (Portland, Conn.) shot a team-leading 168 (86, 82) as the Keene State College men's golf team finished 15th at the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association (NEIGA) Championship at The Captains Golf Course on Cape Cod this past weekend.
KSC was in 18th as a team after the Saturday action, but moved up three places on Sunday, as Fecteau improved by four strokes and recently named Little East Rookie of the Year
Sean Bonneau improved by eight, shooting an 81 on the second day after an 89 on the first day. Bonneau finished with a 170 overall (+26), as did
Aysen Chancey, who shot an 82 on Saturday.
Sean McCaffrey added a 175 (84, 91) and
Sean Cullen a 180 (91, 89) to round out the Owl contingent, which improved by 10 strokes as a team after shooting a 691 (345, 346) at last year's event.
Bonneau paced the Owls with five birdies on the weekend, just three from the leader, while Fecteau had 17 pars and one birdie. Fecteau was three over on Par 3's on the weekend and Bonneau seven over on Par 4's. McCaffrey was KSC's best scorer on Par 5's, averaging a 5.67 (+6).
Husson University won the team championship, finishing with a 603 (+27) that included a 298 on the first day that propelled them to an eight-stroke lead. Endicott College finished five strokes behind and the University of Hartford six. Fellow Little East Conference schools Eastern Connecticut State University finished sixth (308/312=620, +44), the University of Southern Maine 16th (333/351=684, +108), and Western Connecticut State University (332/361=693, +117) tied for 18th.
ECSU's Ashton Lewis was the individual medalist after also recently winning the Little East Championship, shooting a 145 (+1) over the two-day event, including a one-under 71 on Saturday. Colby Mitchell (Nichols College), Sammy Johnson (Roger Williams University), and Cade Charron (Husson) all finished two strokes behind.
On the women's side, playing as an independent, non-scoring team,
Madison Mousley finished 28th out of 43 golfers with a 191 (95, 96/+47) while
Bianca Bostwick added a 212 and
Jodi Mercier a 235.
Wellesley College won that side of the field with a 604 (+28), shooting a 302 both days, and was 23 strokes better than Hartford (311/316=627, +51).
Alex Voight-Shelley finished with an even par 72 on the second day to move up two spots and claim the women's individual medalist honors, edging out three others (two from Wellesley and one from Hartford) by one shot.
"It is a challenging course and we had tough conditions for the weekend," said Keene State head coach Jeff Timmer. "Very windy and cold. Ben (Fecteau) for the men really did a great job of staying steady each day, so I am proud of his effort."
"The women played a very long golf course both days and worked hard until the end. I am excited to work with both teams, as they are young and excited to improve."
The event concludes the fall portion of the golf schedules. Stay tuned to keeneowls.com for updates on spring slate. The women will travel to the NWGC Championship April 19 and 20, 2024.
