Albertus Magnus Men's Golf Captures Program's First-Ever GNAC Championship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Courtesy of Dan Campagna (Emmanuel) & Samantha Carey (Albertus)

QUINCY, Mass. – Senior Ryan Sember (Branford, Conn.) carded a two-under 69 to lead the Albertus Magnus College men's golf team to the 2021 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Golf Championship at the Granite Links Golf Club on Monday afternoon. The Falcons posted a team scored of 320 to top runner-up Saint Joseph's College (ME) who finished in second with a 343.

With the low score, Albertus Magnus claimed their first-ever GNAC Men's Golf team title and have earned the league's automatic qualifier to the 2021 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship on May 11-14, 2021 at Oglebay Golf Course in Wheeling, West Virginia, with championship rounds to be played at the Speidel Golf Club on the Arnold Palmer Course and the Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Course. 

Sember's medalist round of 69 ties the second-lowest round in GNAC men's golf championship history. He opened the day with eight straight pars before a bogey on the eighth hole moved him to +1 on the day. The senior notched pars on holes 9 through 12 before posting back-to-back birdies on holes 13 & 14 to move to -1 on the day. After pars on 15 and 16, the Branford, Conn. native dropped a stroke on the par-3 17th hole but finished the round strong, holing out a 25-yard approach on the 18th to eagle the final hole and secure the two-under 69.

"Sember was in the zone today," said Falcons head coach JR Fredette. "We were the first group off and it gave my guys a chance to set the pace for the day."

As the low-scoring first-year player, Robert Eichelberger (Odessa, Fla.) garnered GNAC Rookie of the Year honors with his round of 83, which featured eight pars, four coming on each side of the course.

The GNAC's top five finishers automatically garner All-Conference accolades. Joining Sember were Eichelberger, sophomore teammate David Aquavia (Oakville, Conn.), and junior teammate Devin Hines (West Haven, Conn.), who both shot an 84. Rounding out the All-Conference team was Saint Joseph's College of Maine sophomore Sean McDonough (Concord, N.H.), who matched Eichelberger for the second lowest round of the day with an 83.

McDonough paced the Monks to the runner-up finish with four birdies and five pars, marking the most birdies on the day by any player in the field. The Monk's Trevor Flanagan was two strokes off his teammates pace with an 85, finishing sixth overall.

Dean College finished in third place in their first-ever GNAC Championship appearance – in any sport – with a score of 364. First-year Sean Doherty (Chelmsford, Mass.) and junior Ethan Lessard (Somers, Conn.) shared the team-low, each carding an 88 on the afternoon for the Bulldogs.

Emmanuel College rounded out the tournament field with a season-best 392 showing. Junior Michael Mencio (Watertown, Conn.) netted an 86 to finish seventh in the field for the low EC round.

Albertus Magnus was originally slated to host the 2020-21 GNAC Men's Golf Championship before the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of our Fall 2019 seasons. As a result, the newly-crowned GNAC champion Falcons are again scheduled to host the GNAC's next men's golf championship this October. 

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Albertus Magnus - 320
2. Saint Joseph's Maine - 343
3. Dean - 364
4. Emmanuel - 392

ALL-GNAC TEAM 
Ryan Sember, Albertus Magnus 
Rob Eichelberger, Albertus Magnus
Sean McDonough, Saint Joseph's
Dave Aquavia, Albertus Magnus
Devin Hines, Albertus Magnus

MEDALIST/GOLFER OF THE YEAR
Ryan Sember, Albertus Magnus 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Rob Eichelberger, Albertus Magnus

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience. 

– #TheGNAC –