2009 Patriot League Golf Championship Preview - PATRIOT LEAGUE OFFICIAL SITE

April 23, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League Golf Championship will be contested at Army's West Point Golf Course on Saturday and Sunday, and if the spring season is any indication all seven teams in the field have a chance to be in the hunt for the League title and automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.

The Patriot League Championship is a two-day, 54-hole event with 36 holes set for Saturday and 18 for Sunday. Golfers will start to tee off at 8 a.m. on both days. West Point Golf Course is a par-70 with a par-35 on both the front and back nine. Six golfers will compete for each team, with the low four scores in each round used for team scoring. The winner of the event receives an automatic bid to one of the three NCAA Regionals, held on the weekend of May 14-16.

Defending champion Navy will go in search of its second consecutive and sixth overall League Championship, and will have plenty of competition from a deep field. Bucknell, which was selected as the favorite in the Patriot League preseason poll, tries for its third title after the Mids ended its two-year reign as champion last year. Championship host Army leads all schools with nine Patriot League titles, and comes into the weekend with momentum after winning the Mt. St. Mary's Invitational on Tuesday. Lehigh claimed titles at the Lafayette Invitational and Lehigh Valley Cup this month, and goes for its third Patriot League crown. Colgate, Lafayette and Holy Cross all go for their first Patriot League title.

Bucknell was the picked as the preseason favorite of golf coaches and sports information directors, followed in order by Navy, Army, Lehigh, Colgate, Holy Cross and Lafayette.

The Mids feature three players that have earned All-Patriot League honors in past seasons, including returning First-Team All-League selection senior David Miller. Miller placed fifth in last year's Patriot League Championship, making him the highest-returning finisher in this year's field. He was also named Patriot League Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday. Navy will also have senior leadership from Chip Hardie and Ryan Wielgus. Hardie earned Second-Team All-Patriot League honors in 2007, while Wielgus did the same while also capturing the Rookie of the Year award in 2006. Wielgus placed 12th in last year's Championship to help the Mids to the title. Navy is coming off a ninth-place showing at its Invitational last weekend. The Mids won last year's title by 17 strokes with a score of 925.

Bucknell will attempt to get back to the winner's circle with a roster that includes three players that placed in the top 20 in last year's Championship. Junior Andrew Cohen is the only two-time All-League recipient in this year's field, as Cohen placed in a tie for fourth to garner co-Rookie of the Year honors in 2007 and finished sixth in last year's Championship. Cohen also comes into the Championship with momentum after winning last week's Caves Valley Intercollegiate. Junior Brian Bartow and sophomore Ben Mattingly are both back after finishing in a tie for 17th in last year's Championship. The Bison were second in last year's Championship with a score of 942 after winning the title in 2006 and 2007.

Army has played well in the past two weeks, winning the Mt. St. Mary's Invitational on Tuesday after placing third of 15 teams at the Peacock Invitational on April 14. Sophomore Matt Krembel claimed the individual title at the Mt. St. Mary's Invite for the second year in a row, and returns to the Patriot League Championship after earning Second-Team All-League honors with a tie for seventh place last year. Krembel also earned Patriot League October Golfer of the Month honors. Senior Sam Walenz earned Second-Team All-League recognition in 2007, and was Army's second-highest finisher by coming in 20th place last year. Army won the last Patriot League Championship at its home course in 2002. The Black Knights placed sixth in last year's field with a score of 969.

Lehigh has already won two tournaments in the month of April, placing 1st among 21 teams at the Lafayette Invitational (which also included Lafayette, Colgate and Bucknell) and claiming the four-team Lehigh Valley Cup on Tuesday by again placing ahead of the Leopards. The Mountain Hawk lineup features three players that placed in the top 15 in last year's Championship, including 2007 First-Team All-League selection and Co-Rookie of the Year junior Steve Suarez. Senior Will Robinson led Lehigh by placing 11th at last year's Championship, followed by Suarez in 12th and senior Shane Gilroy at 14th. Lehigh finished in third place at the 2008 Championship with a score of 960.

Colgate does not feature any returning All-Patriot League performers, but the Raiders have shown they can compete with and beat top Patriot League competition during the spring. Colgate placed ahead of Bucknell, Navy and Holy Cross at the George Washington Invitational on March 20-21, and beat out Lafayette, Lehigh, Navy and Bucknell at last week's Navy Invitational. The Raiders were fifth overall and ahead of Lafayette and Bucknell at the Lafayette Invitational on April 4-5. Colgate's top returnee from the 2008 Championship is junior David Ake, who placed 14th in the field. Senior Montak Mayal has also come through with a strong spring for the Raiders, who finished in fifth place with a score of 965 at last year's League Championship.

Holy Cross brings back two players who were in the top 35 of last year's Championship, as sophomore James Widman placed 25th and senior Pat Brown was 34th. The Crusaders' top showing in the spring was an 11th-place finish out of 20 teams at the Lou Flumere Invitational on April 8. Holy Cross was fourth in last year's Championship with a score of 962.

Lafayette was picked to finish in seventh place in the preseason poll after recording that same showing at last year's Championship, but the Leopards have fared well in their competition against Patriot League foes in the spring. Lafayette took second place overall, finishing one spot ahead of Bucknell, at the Monmouth Invitational on March 28-29 and also beat out Lehigh, Navy and Bucknell at last week's Navy Invitational. Lafayette returns Second-Team All-League selection sophomore Tyler Ostrovsky, who placed in a tie for seventh at last year's Championship. The Leopards also boast the Patriot League March Golfer of the Month, freshman Rob Robertson.

Patriot League Player of the Year honors will go to the top finisher at the League Championship, while Rookie of the Year recognition is given to the top freshman finisher. Coach of the Year honors are selected by the League's head coaches. There will also be a 10-member All-League team, with the top five finishers (including ties) earning First-Team status and sixth through 10th place receiving Second-Team honors.

Army hosts the Patriot League Championship at West Point Golf Course for the fourth time overall and first since 2002. The Black Knights won the team title at their home course in 1992 and 2002, while Lehigh claimed the crown in 1997.

More information can be found at the Patriot League Golf Championship page by clicking here.