Navy Sweeps Top Three Spots On The Way To 2003 PL Golf Title

April 27, 2003

2003 Patriot League Golf Championship Final Results
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Seniors Brian Crum, Nick Rogers and junior Billy Hurley combined to sweep the top three places and lead Navy to the 2003 Patriot League Golf Championship Sunday at Saucon Valley Country Club.

The Midshipmen broke 300 on all three rounds and finished with a team total of 878, which is 14 strokes over par for 12 rounds of golf. Host Lehigh finished second with 909, followed by Army (916), Lafayette (923), Bucknell (938), American (941), Colgate (979) and Holy Cross (1,007).

Lafayette's Jim Hutnik was selected by his peers as the 2003 PL Coach of the Year after guiding the Leopards to fourth place in the team standings. It was LC's highest finish in the 13-year history of the Patriot League Tournament and the first time Hutnik received the award.

Crum came from three shots off the pace heading into the final 18 holes to pass Hurley for medalist honors and lead the Midshipmen to their fourth League crown in the last five years. Crum carded a 54-hole score of 212, which is four strokes under par at the Grace Course.

Hurley, who finished in a three-way tie for medalist honors before losing in a playoff in 2002, finished second this year with a one-under-par 215.

Rogers was steady throughout the weekend, carding rounds of 77-72-74 for a total of 223, to edge Army's Pete Phipps (74-75-75=224) for third place.

Junior Joey Kistler was the fourth Navy player to finish among the Top 10 individuals in the 48-player championship, carding a three-round total of 229.

Lehigh finished second in the team standings by placing three sophomores among the top nine, including Patrick McCahill in fifth place (226), Nam Kyu Park tied for sixth (227) and John Jaravata tied for eighth (228).

Army, the defending PL champion, finished third in the team standings behind the All-League efforts of Phipps and senior Kevin Lee, who tied Park for sixth place with a three-round total of 227.

Earning the final three berths on the 12-player All-League squad were Bucknell freshman Tom Lane, who tied Jaravata for eighth place with 228, BU junior Abbie Valentine and Lafayette junior Brad Rock, who tied for 11th with three-round totals of 230.