April 22-23, 2023

The Basics

• The lead: Junior Gus Vickers was named Golfer of the Year for the second straight year as the Stevens Institute of Technology golf team won its third straight MAC Freedom title Sunday at the conference championship tournament.
• Score: Stevens (313-294=607) – first place out of nine teams
• Location: Huntsville Golf Club (Dallas, Pa.); Par 72 (6,500 yards)
• Short Story: After an opening round 5-over 77, Vickers began play in the final round tied with fourth once Saturday's opening round was completed early Sunday after the event was suspended due to weather. Over the final 18 holes, Vickers had three birdies and an eagle and trimmed five strokes off his opening-round score to finish even on the day, winning the event by three strokes over Misericordia's Brett Herman. Vickers was the only player in the tournament to finish a round in the two-day tournament with a score of par or below. After winning the individual title in 2022, Vickers is just the third player in MAC Freedom (and the Middle Atlantic Conference between 1950-2004) to win consecutive individual titles. Across the two rounds, Vickers had five birdies and a pair of eagles and was an impressive 6-under on par-5 holes.
• The Team Title: Stevens finished with a round one score of 313 and held a 9-stroke lead heading into the final round. Sunday, the Ducks finished with a 294, marking the fifth-lowest single round in program history. The Ducks were 26 strokes better than their closest competitor Sunday and won their third straight conference crown, and the automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship, by 35 strokes. Stevens now holds three of the four lowest championship-winning scores in the history of the MAC Freedom.
• The Awards: Stevens swept the league's three individual awards for the second time in three years. Joining Vickers in earning conference accolades were first-year Austin Liao, who was named Rookie of the Year and Charles Papendick, who was named Coach of the Year for the third time. In addition to his individual title, Vickers was named First Team All-MAC Freedom, where he was joined by senior Miles Philion and sophomore Eduardo Terlaje. The Ducks' three first-team selections were tops in the conference. Senior Eegan McDermott joined Liao on the Second Team to round out the all-conference nods.

The Finishes

• Philion finished 9-over for the tournament, finishing four shots back in third place. The Delhi, New York native carded a tournament-high six birdies and tied for third with 20 pars. 
• Terlaje matched Philion with a 74 Sunday, trimming seven strokes off his opening-round score to climb from ninth place into a fourth-place tie. He finished second on the team on par threes and matched Vickers' efforts on par fours. 
• McDermott had a strong opening round, carding a 4-over 76, tying for second through 18 holes. He had three birdies in his first round and across the two-round tournament, finished 1-under on par fives. McDermott matched Vickers with five birdies.
• Liao was the fourth Duck to finish 2-over or better Sunday, enabling the first-year golfer to climb from 16th place to ninth. He carded 10 pars in the second round and also notched three birdies. 

From the Greens (Head Coach Charles Papendick)

• "Thrilled for our seniors and of course Gus. Very excited with the bounce back of Eduardo and Austin. It's wonderful to win and to be competitive, but the best part for me is seeing our players enjoy the success of their hard work."

Up Next

• Golf returns to the links on May 16 for the NCAA Championships. The event will be held at the Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Ky.

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