Senior Trio Leads Golden Bears to Fourth CCC Title
Abbott earns medalist honors with two-day score of 142, Ciolek & Metcalf finish 2nd and 3rd
SALEM, Mass. (April 29, 2018) – Led by a trio of top-three finishes, the Western New England University men's golf team cruised to its fourth Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championship on Sunday at Kernwood Country Club.
The Golden Bears, who held a 14-stroke lead with a score of 289 following round one on Saturday, posted a 294 on Sunday and finished with a two-day total of 583. Endicott finished 20 strokes back of Western New England with a score of 603, while Nichols (630) and Roger Williams (642) rounded out the four-team field.
Along with the CCC title, the Golden Bears earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, which takes place May 15-18 at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina. Western New England will be making its third appearance in the NCAA Championship after claiming the program's fourth CCC title (2008, 2015-16, 2018).
Senior John Abbott (Higganum, Conn.) led the way for the Golden Bears, as he earned medalist honors with a two-day score of 142. Abbott followed up his 71 (+1) in round one with an identical score in round two.
Senior Joe Ciolek (South Hadley, Mass.), who paced the 20-player field with a one-under 69 on Saturday, finished second with a combined score of 145 after turning in a 76 in round two.
Senior Mike Metcalf (Longmeadow, Mass.) also posted a top-three finish as his scores of 73 (+3) in both rounds resulted in a two-day total of 146.
All five of Western New England's golfers placed inside the top ten, as freshmen Cameron Cox (Bowdoinham, Maine) and Ryan Zogby (New Hartford, N.Y.) tied for eighth place with scores of 152. Cox recorded 76's on both days, while Zogby posted a four-stroke improvement with a 78 on Saturday and a 74 on Sunday.
