Men's Golf Captures Fifth NEC Title With Wire-to-Wire Performance
Blue Devils advance to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2005
The Central Connecticut men's golf team won its fifth Northeast Conference Championship on Sunday, topping second place Robert Morris by 12 strokes. The Blue Devils, who also won titles in 1997, 2002, 2003 and 2005, advance to the NCAA Championships with the league's automatic berth following the title.
Central shot a team score of 297 on the final day, led by senior Anthony Sebastianelli who tied for the top score in the field but fell in a playoff for medalist honors. Sebastianelli shot a final round score of 70 and his 216 was one of just two even par scores in the entire tournament field.
The Blue Devils never trailed in the three-round tournament, leading by 14 strokes after a day one score of 291 and then putting up rounds of 301 and 297 to claim the title. Four Blue Devils finished in the top-11, including three in the top seven.
Sebastianelli's -2 round on Sunday helped pace CCSU to the victory. His 216 matched that of Sacred Heart's Saptak Talwar who won medalist honors in a playoff. Each was three shots better than the nearest competitors.
Freshmen Joe Tucker and Nick Piersall each finished in a tie for seventh place with three-round totals of 223. Tucker shot 72-74-77 while Piersall went 71-76-76 to help lead Central to the title.
Sophomore Arthur Ouimet shot a 74 on Sunday to finish with a total of 227, tying for 11th place overall. He shot 75-78-74 for the three rounds. Senior Brandon Raine fired a 78 on Sunday and finished in a tie for 29th place overall with a score of 241.
The Blue Devils advance to the NCAA Championship. The selection show will air May 2 at 5:30 p.m. on the Golf Channel.
