LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Niagara University men’s golf team finished third in the 2004 JetBlue Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Golf Championships, played on the Palm Golf Course, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Sunday. Sophomore Chris Agostinelli (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas) led the Purple Eagles individually, finishing in a tie for second place overall with a three-round total of 222.
Shooting a final round team score of 302, Niagara placed in the top three in the conference championships for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
Agostinelli, who shot a 2-over 74 in the final round, finished just two strokes behind 2004 MAAC Individual Champion T.J. Shuart of Loyola. Shuart shot a 3-over 75 in the final round, finishing with a three-round total of 220 to win the McLeod Award. Last year’s individual winner, Jeff O’Brien of Loyola, shot a 2-under 70 Sunday, tying Agostinelli for second place.
Playing in their final conference championship of their collegiate careers were seniors Shaun Applegate (Tonawanda/Kenmore East), who finished with a three-day total of 233, and Brad Chapman (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles Central), who led the Purple Eagles in the final round with a 1-over 73. The senior duo have been intricate parts of the Niagara lineup throughout their collegiate careers, with Chapman serving as team captain the past two seasons. Applegate capped his senior season by finishing tied for 13th in this weekend’s conference championship.
Also contributing to Niagara’s third-place finish were freshman Chris Hart (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) and sophomore Andrew Burke (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit). Hart shot a third-round score of 76, finishing with a tournament total of 237 and placing tied for 19th. Burke shot 82 in the final round, with a three-round score of 239, finishing 23rd.
Loyola, with a team score of 901, won their second consecutive MAAC Championship, bettering second-place Siena (909) by eight strokes.
Final Team Standings
1. Loyola (293 - 901)
2. Siena (292 - 909)
3. Niagara (302 - 922)
4. Fairfield (313 - 930)
5. Rider (314 - 932)
6. Iona (316 - 952)
7. Canisius (312 - 960)
8. Manhattan (322 - 982)
9. Saint Peter’s (330 - 1004)
