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Day One: Recap | Results
Day Two: Recap | Results
Day Three: Recap | Final Results
Sunset Beach, NC -- The Sea Trail resort in Sunset Beach, NC provided the setting for a down-to-the-wire finish that saw Monmouth capture its first NEC Men's Golf Championship on Sunday with a one-stroke victory over 2006 champion Saint Francis (PA). Long Island senior Patrick Kelly (Brisbane, Australia/Jackson State) took home individual honors in another tight finish, shooting a one-over par 217 for the tournament to hold off Monmouth junior Anthony Campanile (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) by one stroke.
Both Monmouth and Saint Francis (PA) tied for low-round honors on Sunday, shooting 301 in breezy conditions to match the tightest finish in league history. In 1995, Robert Morris beat out Fairleigh Dickinson by one stroke. The Hawks finished with a three-day score of 902, followed by the Red Flash's 903 and Central Connecticut State in third place, six strokes off the pace at 908. Long Island took fourth (911) ahead of Sacred Heart (fifth, 913), Robert Morris (sixth, 918), Mount St. Mary's (seventh, 922), Quinnipiac (eighth, 935), Fairleigh Dickinson (ninth, 936), Wagner (tenth, 970) and St. Francis (NY) (eleventh, 1107).
LIU's Kelly had to sweat out a rally by 2005 champion Campanile, who entered the round in 11th place, seven strokes off the pace, but fired a tournament-low and four-under par 68 on Sunday. Kelly held a two-shot edge to begin the day and shot a two-over 74, but was able to walk away with the first individual crown in Long Island history.
Besides Campanile, Monmouth received a strong performance from senior Dave Marshall (Glassboro, NJ/Glassboro), who finished tied for sixth with a nine-over par 225. Ryan Beck (Maple Glen, PA/Hatboro-Hordham), a sophomore, tied for 14th for the Hawks with a 228.
Saint Francis (PA)'s top finisher was senior Nick Wheeler (Ingersoll, Ontario/Ingersoll), who carded a one-over 73 on Sunday - the second-best round of the afternoon - to tie for sixth with a 225. Junior Steve Foisy (Repentigny, Quebec/Academie), who was the reigning NEC indivudual champion and led after the first round, ended the event tied for 11th at 227.
The top-ten finishers were awarded NEC All-Conference honors. After LIU's Kelly and Monmouth's Campanile, third place went to Sacred Heart junior Patrick Fillian (Tinton Falls, NJ/Purdue) and CCSU junior Matt McClure (Orangeville, Ontario/Westside Secondary) with a six-over 222. Sacred Heart junior Tommy Campbell (Wall, NJ/Wall) earned a fifth place finish, firing an eight-over 224. Saint Francis (PA)'s Wheeler and Monmouth's Marshall tied for sixth, followed by CCSU senior Brendon Ray (Norfolk, MA/Rollins College), Mount St. Mary's junior Kevin Farrell (Lemoyne, PA/Trinity) and LIU sophomore Greg Nicolson (Edinburgh, Scotland/George Watson's), who tied for eighth each with 10-over par scores of 226.
NEC Coach of the Year honors went to Steve Keating of Sacred Heart. The Pioneers, who were picked sixth in the NEC Preseason Poll, held a five-stroke lead going into the final round before settling for a fifth place finish in a tightly packed field.
The conference championship was contested in a three-day, 54-hole event for the first time in NEC annals. Previous championships were all two-round affairs. Team scores were calculated by adding the team’s four lowest scores from each day.
Monmouth will now represent the NEC in NCAA regional play from May 17-19. Selection information will be announced on Monday, May 7th at 6:00 pm EST.
2007 NEC All-Conference Team
Fin. Players School Scores
1 Patrick Kelly LIU 72 71 74 217 +1
2 Anthony Campanile Monmouth 74 76 68 218 +2
3 Patrick Fillian Sac. Heart 74 73 75 222 +6
Matt McClure CCSU 74 74 74 222 +6
5 Tommy Campbell Sac. Heart 72 75 77 224 +8
6 Nick Wheeler St Fran PA 76 76 73 225 +9
Dave Marshall Monmouth 71 74 80 225 +9
8 Brendon Ray CCSU 80 73 73 226 +10
Kevin Farrell The Mount 76 75 75 226 +10
Greg Nicolson LIU 75 75 76 226 +10
NEC Coach of the Year: Steve Keating, Sacred Heart