» The Saint Francis University men's golf team finished second at the Northeast Conference (NEC) Men's Golf Championships on Sunday.
» Marc-Antoine Hotte (Mascouche, Quebec) and Luke Minsky (Wexford, Pa.) finished sixth and seventh, respectively
» Hotte posted rounds of 72, 75 and 79 for a 226 and Minsky carded an 80, 73 and 74 for a 227.
» Nathan Godbout (St. George, Vt.) had the best round of the afternoon after shooting an even-par round of 72. He had birdies on three, 15, and 16 with 13 pars, a bogey and a double bogey.
FLASH MOMENTS
After a first round 80, Minsky finished his final two rounds with totals of 73 and 74 to finish in sixth place with a score of 227. He recorded four birdies on the afternoon on holes two, six, 10 and his final hole No. 18. Minsky also had nine pars, four bogeys and double bogey in the final round, and notched an eagle, seven birdies, 29 pars, 15 bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey during his 54 holes. Minsky notches his first Top-10 at the NEC Championships after finishing 11th in 2019 and 21st in 2021.
Hotte, who led the tournament after the first round and was in the third position after the second round, carded 12 pars, five bogeys and a double bogey in the final round to finish the day with a 79. In the 54 holes, Hotte had seven birdies, 31 pars, 15 bogeys and a double bogey. Hotte notches his second Top-10 finish in the NEC Championships after finishing tied for ninth at last year's championships.
J.W. Cunningham (McMurray, Pa.) finished the day with a two-over par round of 74 and finished the three rounds with a score of 231 in a tie for 16th place to earn the 16th hole flag from the tournament. He started and finished his day with a birdie on No. 1 and No. 18. Cunningham added 13 pars, two bogeys and a double bogey in the final round, and carded six birdies, 32 pars, 10 bogeys, four double bogeys and a pair triple bogey in the 54 holes. He finished 16th in 2022 after placing 17th last season at the event.
Avery Papalia (Marlton, N.J.) posted a round of 79 and finished the three rounds in 22nd place with a score of 234. He posted birdies on No. 5, 10 and 16 with nine pars, three bogeys, two double bogeys and a triple bogey. Papalia, who notched his best finish in the NEC Championships after ending 2018 and 2019 in 26th place, registered five birdies, 33 pars, 12 bogeys, three double bogeys and a triple bogey.
Godbout, who finished in 26th place with a three-round score of 236, had four birdies, 34 pars, 11 bogeys, three double bogeys and two bogeys of three or more in the three rounds.
Sacred Heart rallied in the third round to win the NEC Championships with a score of 902, five strokes ahead of LIU (907) and Saint Francis (907). Fairleigh Dickinson (910), Mount St. Mary's (915), Bryant (927) and Wagner (965) also competed in the event. The Red Flash improved each round, going from 307 to 301 to 299 in each round for its 907 total.
FLASH NUGGETS
The Red Flash notched its highest finish since winning the tournament in 2013, while the team finished second for the fifth time in team history (1992, 1993, 1994, 2007). The three-round score of 907 is the second-best mark since the event to three rounds in 2015 with the 2016 team score of 893 the only score besting the 2022 mark.
Saint Francis has won the NEC Championships three times, while finishing second five times, third five times and fourth nine times in the 37 years of the tournament.
Hotte and Minsky mark the 40th and 41st time a player has finished in the Top-10 and the 31st and 32nd time a player has ended in the Top-6 at the NEC Championships. It is the ninth time the Red Flash has had two players finish in the Top-10.
Hotte is also the ninth player in team history to finish in the Top-10 at the NEC Championships twice in his career and the first since Brandon Mihalo accomplished the feat in 2016-19.
