Courtesy of Doug DeBiase, CACC Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The 2019-20 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Men's Golf season is right around the corner, as the nine schools in the league that compete in the sport will be in action the week following the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Teams will be looking to round their game in to form in a hurry, as the 2019 CACC Golf Championship will be staged Oct. 6-8, at White Beeches Country Club in Haworth, N.J. Dominican College, which enters the season as the defending conference champion, will serve as the host institution for the event, as the practice round will take place on Sunday the 6th, followed by the first round on Monday the 7th and the final round on Tuesday the 8th.
2019-20 TEAM CAPSULES
CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE: A deep roster, comprised of three freshmen and four juniors, led Chestnut Hill College to a seventh place finish (7th of 9, 313-314, 627, +67) at the 2018 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Golf Championship. In 2019, Head Coach Mike Paukovits will solicit senior captains, Shawn Mayer and Taylor Mezzatesta to lead a roster that also includes seniors, Samuel Mitcho and Nick Smalley, sophomore Ryan Woelfling, and freshmen class consisting of James Doxey, Drew Maiorca, and David Schmidling, beyond their 2018 success.
CONCORDIA COLLEGE: The 2019-20 season marks the Clippers' 10th, with the golf team hitting the links as a varsity program for the first time during the 2010-11 academic year. In just nine short seasons, the Concordia has established itself as one of the premier programs within the East Region with eight NCAA Atlantic/East Super Regional berths and at least one participant in nine-consecutive Super Regionals. Gabe Goodman returns to Concordia after garnering the program's first CACC Rookie of the Year award last season. Minwoo Park enters his junior season at Concordia. During his freshman campaign, he became the program's first ever GCAA PING All-American with Honorable Mention honors. The Clippers 2019 fall slate features five events with each taking place in a different state. The Griffin Invitational will mark the Clippers' first outing in Virginia, while the CACC Championship will serve as the first event played in New Jersey.
DOMINICAN COLLEGE: The reigning CACC Champions and CACC Coach of Year (Keith Prokop) ... the roster will feature eight returnees from 2018-19 and three newcomers, including senior and two-time All-CACC Team selection, Carlos Armas Stenner ... the Chargers will compete in six events in the fall.
FELICIAN UNIVERSITY: The most noticeable change for the 2019-20 Felician University men's golf team will be in the leadership. Ben "JR" DiNallo has stepped down after starting the program 14 years ago. DiNallo is beginning his 17th full year as the Golden Falcons' director of athletics. DiNallo's teams made four top-five finishes in the CACC Championship tournament, won seven league Team Sportsmanship Awards, and sent three individual qualifiers to the NCAA Atlantic/East Regionals. In DiNallo's place will be Joe Ambrose. A member of both the PGA and Professional Bowlers Association, Ambrose is a teaching pro at Saucon Valley CC in Bethlehem, Pa. He recently coached the women's team at Keystone College, and spent 12 years as the women's bowling coach at Kutztown University. Felician returns its top four players from last year, including two-time CACC All-Tournament selection Jake Storako, now a senior. Storako possesses the top two single-season scoring averages in program history, including a record 76.81 a year ago. Gonzalo Maldonado Felices looks for a breakout sophomore campaign after winning or sharing both CACC Rookie of the Month awards last spring. Felician's average team round in 2018-19 was 313.7 (over 19 rounds), a school record.
GOLDEY-BEACOM COLLEGE: Junior Corbin Babyak once again looks to have another strong campaign for the Lightning. He was one of many bright spots a season ago, competed in 10 tournaments and averaging 79.3 over 20 rounds. This included ending tied for first with 75 at the Jefferson Fall Invitational. Senior Shea Murphy has been a key piece to the puzzle each of the last three seasons and hopes for the same in 2019-20. He ended 16th at last year's CACC Championship by shooting 77 in both rounds and closed 14th at the Jefferson Fall Invitational. Senior Braden Wheeler jumped on to the scene last season and made a huge impact, averaging 78.2 over 20 rounds. He closed in the top 20 seven times, including a first-place tie with 73 at the Jefferson Invitational.
JEFFERSON: The top-five scorers all return (Eric Mahoney, Evan Tate, Jordan Donmoyer, Nick Franchi, Kyle Zeller). The Rams feature a veteran team – eight of the team's nine players are upperclassmen.
POST UNIVERSITY: Anthony Guerrera will be the lone senior returning from a team which qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II East/Atlantic Super Regional Tournament. He is coming off of a fourth-place finish at the Connecticut State Amateur. Ben McKenna will be coming in for his fifth year. Post finished runner-up in the 2018 CACC Men's Golf Championship.
UNIVERSITY OF THE SCIENCES: USciences' first-round total of 331 and overall team total of 672 at last fall's CACC Championship were both its second-lowest totals in the program's Championship history. The Devils return 5-of-7 golfers from last year's squad, while also bringing in three recruits. Rising senior Andy Ring leads the returners. His two-round total of 165 at last fall's CACC Championship was the sixth-lowest in the program's Championship history.
WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY: Wilmington's string of eight-consecutive conference titles was snapped last fall when the Wildcats finished third at the CACC Championship. However, a young Wildcats squad came of age as the season progressed and reached the nationals finals of the 2019 NCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championship Tournament -- finishing 19th. Several letterwinners from a season ago returns in 2019-20, as the Wildcats look to take back their place at the top of the CACC mountain. Second year head coach Mark Hall loses two-time CACC Golfer of the Year Ryan Rucinski, but brings back junior Enrique Valverde (T14th at Regionals), senior Braden McKay (T22 at Regionals), senior Jack Dixon (T12 at CACCs), and senior Arvy Shongwe (28th at CACCs).