Golf Faces Top Flight Opponents and Finishes 6th at NYU/M'Ville Invite

Bloomfield, N.J. - The Golden Eagles men's golf team competed in the NYU/Manhattanville Fall Invitational held at the Forest Hill Field Club, in poor weather conditions, over the weekend.  Of the 11 teams that participated, SJC finished in a very respectable 6th place, considering the top-notch comnpetition.

Robert Bray (Shoreham, N.Y./ Shoreham-Wading River) led the team for the third consecutive tournament.  His outstanding play has helped pick up the slack left behind by the absence of Christian Bleck.  Finishing with a score of 79 on the first day and 75 on the second, a combined 154, Bray has emerged as the team's leader heading into the Skyline Conference Championship.

Another young, rising star for St. Joseph's College, John Melandro (Shoreham, N.Y./ Shoreham-Wading River), continued to prove to be a consistent player finishing with scores of 83 and 78 (total of 161).  Behind Melandro was Zac Campanelli (Bayport, N.Y./ Bayport-Blue Point), who was very consistent on the weekend, finishing with a total of 166, hitting for 83 on both days. 

Senior Ken Ortiz (Centereach, N.Y./ Centereach) fared well on the first day with a score of 78, but could not regain his momentum in the second day, finishing with 89 strokes on the day and 167 on the weekend. 

Senior captain Sean Sanders (Shoreham, N.Y./ Shoreham-Wading River) rounded out the tournament with a total score of 184.  Shooting for 97 on the first day and 87 on the second, the captain had a hard time adjusting to the terrible weather conditions and the very challenging course.  Sanders is poised to bounce back in the Skyline Conference Championship.

Over the course of the two-day invitational, St. Joseph's was missing the presence of their number one golfer, Christian Bleck (St. James, N.Y./ Chaminade).  The team leader and best performer provides a boost to his fellow golfers and leads by example on the course.  Without him, the team was able to rely on each other to finish in 6th place.  The Golden Eagles were very consistent in the NYU/Manhattanville Fall invitational, but they could not improve in day two.

The Golden Eagles will be heading into the Skyline Conference Championship on Sunday, October 19 and Monday, October 20.  The championship will be held at the Bethpage State Park Red Course, and the St. Joseph's College men's golf team is determined to rename it "Gold."