Sebastianelli, Gallo Earn NEC Player, Coach of the Year Honors
Blue Devils won their fifth NEC title last weekend, advance to NCAA Regionals
A trio of Central Connecticut men's golfers, as well as head coach Kyle Gallo, were honored by the Northeast Conference on Friday. Senior Anthony Sebastianelli was named the league's Player of the Year and Gallo was named the Coach of the Year. Sebastianelli helped pace the Blue Devils to their fifth NEC title last weekend with a wire-to-wire victory over second place Robert Morris. Gallo's Blue Devils won the NEC title and advanced to the NCAA Regionals in Kissimmee, FL on May 14-16.
Sebastianelli was also named First Team All-Conference during a standout senior season that say him finish in a tie for first place at the NEC Championships following three rounds of play. He eventually lost in a playoff, similar to the previous week when he also finished in a tie for first in regulation at the Rhode Island Invitational. He posted six top-10 finishes in his senior year, including three in his last four tournaments. He also finished 3-0 at the FDU Checkmate Challenge. His last six rounds have finished 71-71-71-73-73-70. On the year he posted a 73.0 stroke average per round and finished first three times (Metropolitan Intercollegiate).
Gallo led the Blue Devils to their fifth NEC title in 2018. The former standout Blue Devil golfer was part of the team that won the school's first NEC title in 1997. He was an All-Conference selection that season for the Blue Devils after finishing second in the NEC Championships. He is the first CCSU men's golf coach to earn NEC Coach of the Year honors.
Freshmen Joe Tucker and Nick Piersall, who each tied for seventh at last week's NEC Championship, were named to the All-Conference Second Team for their performance in their rookie seasons. Piersall finished the year with a stroke average of 75.3 and posted three top-10 finishes, including each of his last two tournaments. He finished tied for ninth at the Rhode Island Invitational with rounds of 74-73, and then tied for seventh at NEC's with rounds of 71-76-76.
Tucker finished the year with a 76.3 stroke average and a pair of top-10 finishes. He shot 72-74-77 last weekend to give the Blue Devils three finishers in the top seven. Like Sebastianelli he finished 3-0 at the FDU Checkmate Challenge earlier this spring.
The Blue Devils, who captured their first NEC title since 2005, will compete in the NCAA Regional Championships at the Reunion Resort, Watson Course, in Kissimmee, FL. The 54-hole regional, hosted by UCF, will be held from May 14-16. The Regional will include 18 holes each day and serve as the preliminary event for the NCAA Championship. NCAA Regionals will also take place in Raleigh, NC; Bryan, TX; Columbus, OH; Norman, OK; and Stockton, CA. A total of 81 teams and 15 individuals were selected for regionals.
