March 20, 2022

The Basics

• The lead: Junior Miles Philion finished second out of 63 golfers to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology golf team to second place Sunday at "The Ruckus." The event served as the Ducks' spring opener.
• Team Score: Stevens (311-301) - second place of 12 teams
• Location: Jamestown Course, Williamsburg National Golf Club - Williamsburg, Va. (Par 71 - 6,507 yards)
• Short Story: Philion carded a 77 through the first 18 rounds and a 72 over the second 18 to card a 149 in the tournament to lead three Ducks among the top-five finishers. Philion's five stroke improvement over his final 18 was tied for the biggest improvement of any competitor that finished inside the top-10. After just two birdies Saturday, the Delhi, New York native had five Sunday, including three on the front nine. He finished one stroke behind McDaniel's Chuck Csejka, who captured the individual title. Csejka's 70 over the first 18 holes was the only rounded of par or better. 
• The Leaderboard: The Ducks compiled a team score of 311 on the opening day and 301 on the second day to finish seven strokes behind McDaniel College, who won the inaugural event with a team score of 612. With a 10-stroke improvement on their team score, the Ducks finished a comfortable 16 shots ahead of Penn State-Altoona. A total of 12 teams competed. 

The Finishes

• Sophomore Gus Vickers finished one shot behind Philion, shooting a 75 in each round to finish at 150 for the event. He registered a pair of birdies.
• Senior A.J. Iacobellis was the third Duck inside the top-five, firing a two-round score of 151 to finish one stroke behind Vickers and Penn State-Altoona's Trey Heffelfinger. He birdied four of the final eight holes.
• Junior Eegan McDermott finished tied for 29th with a two-round score of 162 to round out the Ducks' contingent. His top stretch came on Sunday's back nine, with a birdie and six pars. 
• The Ducks' best two holes of the tournament were the 13th hole Saturday (combined score of three-under) and the 14th hole Sunday (combined score of two-under).

From the Greens (Head Coach Charles Papendick)

• "Just a very impressive showing by our players. I couldn't be more pleased with their play in extremely windy conditions that were challenging for everyone. This was a very early spring start for us and based on this performance, we have something to build on going forward."
• "I couldn't be prouder of Miles, Gus and A.J. for never giving up. It's a testament to their positive mental attitude. They don't quit. None of our players ever do. Eegan didn't have his best weekend, but he never gave in and shaved four strokes off his opening round. I am sure that he will get back to his normal 'game,' which is where we need him."
• "Once we're back at full strength, we should be more consistent as we preapre to peak for our conference tournament in late April."

Up Next

• Golf returns to the links on Mar. 26 for the two-day McDaniel Spring Invitational, hosted by McDaniel College at the The Bridges Golf Club in Abbotstown, Pennsylvania. It will be the Ducks' first appearance in the annual event since the 2017-18 season.

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