NEW TRIPOLI, Pa. (April 28, 2024) – Sophomore's Brock Dickson and Austin Liao each finished in a tie for third after shooting 10-over for the tournament, as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's golf team claimed the top spot in the MAC Freedom Championship this weekend. The two-day tournament was played at the Olde Homestead Golf Club (6,559 yards – par 72).
In addition to the team championship, first-year Maxime Debets was named MAC Freedom Rookie of the Year while head coach Charlie Papendick was named the conference's Coach of the Year. Debets finished in a tie for fifth at 11-over for the tournament. He becomes the third Duck to win the award since joining the conference, as Eegan McDermott '23 won it in 2021 as a sophomore, while Liao claimed the award last year. Papendick earned his fourth-straight Coach of the Year award, as he has been awarded the honor every year since becoming a member of the conference.
The Ducks won the MAC Freedom Championship for the fourth straight season. Stevens has claimed the team tournament title every year since joining the conference. Despite winning the team title, this was the first time Stevens won the team title without having the individual champion in the tournament. Senior Gus Vickers had won the previous two individual titles, while Vincent Cortese '21 won it three years ago. With the win, Stevens earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, marking the program's fourth straight appearance.
DeSales' Andrew Saglimbeni took home the individual title after shooting 73-74 to finish 3-over par for the tournament. He was named MAC Freedom Golfer of the Year. DeSales' Luke Hallman claimed second place, finishing one stroke ahead of Liao and Dickson. Vickers, along with Debets, finished 11-over for the tournament as they came in a tie for fifth along with Arcadia's Brooks Hoffman. Each golfer inside the top five was named to the MAC Freedom's First Team. First-year Sebastian Beaver came in tenth place after shooting back-to-back 80's, as he was named to the MAC Freedom Second Team.
As a team, the Ducks finished with a score of 618, finishing nine strokes ahead of DeSales. There were times on Sunday where the Bulldogs had the top spot, but the Ducks played well under pressure to comeback and earn the victory. Arcadia came in third finishing seven strokes behind DeSales.
The Rundown
- Dickson started the tournament off with a birdie on the first on Saturday. On the back nine of his first round, he shot 2-under, including carding an eagle on the par 5 12th. On Sunday, he picked up another eagle, this time making three on the par 5 8th. He made just two total birdies en route to the third place finish.
- Liao started off the tournament with two birdies as he found himself 2-under through two. He made five birdies on Saturday, finishing the round 3-over par. He would card just one birdie on Sunday on the par 5 12th.
- Debets was the only Duck who scored better on Sunday than Saturday. He did not start the way he wanted to in the first round, as he was 10-over through 12 holes. From there, he made birdie on 13 and 17, both par 3's, to close the round out with an 80. He would then shoot a 6-over 42 on the front nine in the final round, but stormed back with birdies on 11, 14, and 16 to finish 3-under on the back nine.
- Like Liao and Dickson, Vickers started his tournament off with a birdie at one. After a triple bogey on 11, Vickers responded with a birdie on 12. He would then eagle the par 5 16th to help him finish at 3-over for the final round. He made no birdies on Sunday, shooting a 40 on each side.
- Beaver finished in tenth to round out the scores for the Ducks. He had a bit of a whirlwind round on Saturday as he made just four pars. He did make four birdies. His lone birdie today came on the par 5 8th as he made sure each Duck in the tournament finished inside the top ten.
- The Ducks as a team were 7-under on the par 5's, which was eight strokes better than the next closest team.
Scores
Saturday
Sunday
For the Opponents
- Saglimbeni made seven birdies for the tournament, including five in the final round.
- Hallman, who finished second in the tournament, was 1-under after 27 holes, but fell apart on the final nine, shooting an 8-over 44.
- Hoffman had a solid second round, making 16 pars and two bogeys.
Tournament Standings
- 1. Stevens: +42 (618)
- 2. DeSales: +51 (627)
- 3. Arcadia: +58 (634)
- 4. Lebanon Valley: +79 (655)
- 5. Delaware Valley: +83 (659)
- 6. FDU-Florham: +138 (714)
- 7. King's: +159 (735)
- 8. Misericordia: +162 (738)
Up Next
- The golf team will head to the NCAA Tournament, which will be held at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nevada. It will be contested from May 14-17. Appropriate links will be posted to StevensDucks.com when available.
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Golf
X (Formerly known as Twitter) @golf_stevens
Instagram: @stevens_golf
#AllRise
