Junior Chris Agostinelli tied for second overall in the 2004 MAAC Championship. |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University men’s golf team travels to Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Fl., to compete in the 2005 JetBlue Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Friday-Sunday. The Purple Eagles are looking to improve on their third-place finish from a year ago.
Magnolia Golf Course is the site for the 54-hole tournament. The par-72 course measures 7,190 yards with a 133 slope. The 2003 championship was also played at the Magnolia Course, where Niagara posted a 956 team score to finish sixth overall.
Last season’s championship was held at the Palm Golf Course, also at Walt Disney World. Niagara posted a team score of 922, led by senior Chris Agostinelli (Rochester, N.Y.), who shot a 76-72-74 = 222 to finish tied for second overall. He enters the 2005 championship leading the Purple Eagles with a 76.3 average through 14 rounds.
The team is coming off a first-place finish at the Cape May Invitational, hosted by Mount St. Mary’s, in Cape May, N.J, April 16-17. After recording a 315 in round one - six strokes back from the leader - the team responded with a tournament-low 304 the following day to win by four strokes.
Junior Andrew Burke (Rochester, N.Y.) finished tied for second overall, the highest finish of his career, helped by a career-low and tournament-best 71 on day two. The score improved his season’s average to 77.1 through 14 rounds. He looks to improve on his 23rd-place finish in last year’s MAAC Championship, registering a three-day total of 239.Sophomore Dan Misko (Grand Island, N.Y.) shot a round-one low of 75 to stand in a tie for first through 18 at Cape May. He finished the tournament with a total of 155 to place seventh overall – tying his season’s best finish. Misko ranks fourth among the Purple Eagles with a 79.2 average in 14 rounds.
Sophomore Chris Hart (Ithaca, N.Y.) ranks third among Niagara golfers with a 78.0 average. He posted a 237 in last year’s MAAC Championship, finishing tied for 19th overall.
Loyola looks to defend its 2004 MAAC Championship with the help of senior T.J. Shuart, winner of the 2004 McLeod award, which is presented to the MAAC individual champion.
