The Fairfield University men’s golf team traveled down to Lake Buena Vista, Fla., this past weekend to compete in the 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships. The unit had itself a successful weekend, as it took second place in the field consisting of their conference rivals, finishing only behind Siena College in the process.
Leading the way for the Stags was Killian McGinley ‘23, who came out on top of the 45-player field to win the individual title of the tournament. McGinley secured the individual title by shooting six shots under par after 54 holes of play, as well as finishing one stroke over Mount Saint Mary’s University player Hank Schaefer. The London, U.K. standout also became the sixth player in program history to hoist the McLeod Trophy, the award given to the player with the best individual performance in the tournament. Additionally, he became the first Stag to bring home the hardware since 2014.
McGinley obtained the award after opening the tournament at four under par, before pulling off a score of 65 on day two of the round, which was held on Saturday, to hand himself an eight-stroke lead heading into the final round. He eventually held on to win, despite a late-push from Schaefer. McGinley was one under par on par threes through the tournament, two over par on par fours and seven under par on par fives. Thanks to his superb performance, he will advance to the NCAA Regionals at a date in May that is later to be determined. He will learn of his destination and his date on Wednesday, May 3.
McGinley was not the only Stag to stand out at Disney this past weekend, as everyone representing the red and white placed at 24th or better in the field of 45. Graduate student Jason Salameno held firm with scores of 74 during the first two days thanks to his consistent play, before shooting one under par in the final round to secure an 11th place finish. Finishing seven spots back of him was Patrick McCarthy ‘23, as the Bethesda, Md., native recorded consecutive rounds shooting two over par before capping off the round with a score of 73 on Sunday to land in a tie for 18th place.
Sitting two shots behind McCarthy was Shane DeVincenzo ‘23, to finish in a tie for 21st place. DeVincenzo finished strong by scoring his best round of the tournament on Sunday, which saw him shoot one over overall on the weekend to generate the tie. Finishing in 24th place was graduate student Michael McCarthy, who finished with a score of nine over to round out the Stags lineup.
In addition to the men’s side, the women’s unit also traveled to the Sunshine State to compete in their conference championship. The unit concluded the tournament with a fourth-place finish, an ending that was helped by a well-rounded team performance led by fifth-place finisher and graduate student Julia Towne.
Towne opened up the tournament strong, as she came out of the gate with a record-setting five-under performance, setting new program records for low round score and score vs par to lead the field on day one. She completed the weekend leading the women’s unit for the Stags, and she ended up being the highest finisher in the field that did not attend Quinnipiac University, as they ended up taking home both the individual and conference titles.
Rounding out the top twenty included Sydney Nethercott ‘24, who nabbed a 12th place finish at 11-over across the three rounds, while Addy Douglas ‘23 locked down the 19th spot with a strong finish, as she shot with scores of 76 and 77 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
In the back end of the Fairfield lineup on the weekend was Juliette Prud’Homme ‘26 and Grace Kryscio ‘24, who wound up tying each other for a tie for 21st place. This resulted in the Stags seeing themselves elevate in the rankings, as they improved by two places from their first a season ago. Furthermore, the unit finished the year on a high note by capturing two team victories, one in the fall and one in the spring, making the year a memorable one for the group.
This year also proved to be a memorable year for the coaching staff, as Director of Golf Doug Holub and Assistant Director Sara Laterza was recognized for the third consecutive season as the Coaching Staff of the Year in the MAAC. Holub has held this position since September 2016, after spending ten years in the golf industry as an instructor. Laterza joined the unit this season, as she has been an unsung presence of the talented team the unit has in place.For more information on the Fairfield University golf teams, please visit www.fairfieldstags.com for more updates.
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