April 27, 2008
Team Standings - Final 
Individual Leaderboard - Final
2008 Patriot League Golf Championship Page
Bethlehem, Pa. - Navy pulled away on the final 18 holes to claim the 2008 Patriot League Golf Championship with a score of 925 in the 54-hole tourney held at Saucon Valley Country Club.
The Mids earn their fifth Patriot League Championship, and the first since 2003. Navy senior Erich Schoen claimed Most Outstanding Player honors after shooting a 75 on the final day for a score of 223 over the weekend. The Mids held a seven-shot lead after the first 36 holes were completed on Saturday, and won the Championship by 17 strokes by shooting a 307 on the Sunday's 18 holes. Navy's total was 10 shots better than any other team for the day. The Mids will now receive an automatic bid to one of the three NCAA regionals, held on the weekend of May 15-17.
Navy also claimed all of the Patriot League's individual honors. In addition to Schoen, freshman Ben Hayes received Rookie of the Year recognition after finishing third in the field with a score of 228. Head Coach Pat Owen received Patriot League Coach of the Year honors, his sixth career award and first since 2004. The Mids are the first team to sweep the individual honors since the Rookie of the Year award originated in 2005.
Bucknell, who won the Patriot League Championship in 2006 and 2007, finished in second place with a score of 942. Lehigh moved up to third with a score of 960, followed by Holy Cross in fourth at 962, Colgate in fifth at 965, Army in sixth with a 969 and Lafayette placing seventh with a 978.
Schoen and Hayes provided stellar rounds on Sunday to lead the Midshipmen. Schoen's final round 75 made him the only golfer in the field with three rounds of 75 or less, and the only one that did not shoot at least one round of 78 or more. He shot a 74-74-75 for his 223 to win the event. Hayes earned Rookie of the Year honors by recording the best round in the field on Sunday. His 72 was one of only two rounds in the event that was at par or below. Schoen and Hayes provided two of the three players in the event to finish below 78 on Sunday.
Schoen is the first Most Outstanding Player from Navy since Billy Hurley in 2004, and earns the sixth individual title for the Mids. Hayes earns Navy's second Rookie of the Year honor, and the first since teammate Ryan Wielgus claimed the award in 2006.
David Miller finished in fifth place for the Mids, tallying a score of 234 for the weekend.
Navy's last Patriot League Championship also came at Saucon Valley in 2003. The 17-shot victory is the largest for a winning team since the Mids held a 31-shot lead over the field in that year.
Bucknell saw its reign as Patriot League champion come to an end with a 317 on Sunday for the final score of 942. Rahul Desai paced the Bison with a total score of 231 for a fourth-place finish, while Andrew Cohen came in sixth place with a score of 235.
Lehigh moved up from fifth to third place on Sunday, finishing with a score of 960 for the event. Will Robinson was the top finisher for the Mountain Hawks, shooting a 239 and finishing in 11th place.
Holy Cross was led by Matt Czarnecki and Ryan Kenny for its fourth-place finish. Both players shot a 78 on the final day and finished in a tie for seventh place. Czarnecki was competing after winning Most Outstanding Player honors in 2007.
Colgate's Ricky Hayes finished in second place in the field. The leader after 36 holes, Hayes fired a 78 on Sunday to place two shots by Schoen. The Raiders had a 330 team score on Sunday to fall to fifth overall with a final total of 965.
Army came in sixth place with a score of 969. The Black Knights were led by Matt Krembel, who shot a 79 on the final day to finish in a tie for seventh place.
Lafayette's Tyler Ostrovsky posted the third-lowest round of the day, firing a 77 to finish in a tie for seventh with a 54-hole total of 236. The Leopards posted a team score of 978.
The top 10 golfers in the field earn All-Patriot League status. Schoen, Ricky Hayes, Ben Hayes, Desai and Miller received First-Team All-League honors by finishing in the top five, while Cohen, Ostrovsky, Czarnecki, Krembel and Kenny took home Second-Team All-League recognition.
Czarnecki receives his third All-Patriot League selection after claiming first-team honors in 2007 and second-team plaudits in 2005. Cohen returns to the All-League list after receiving first-team honors in 2007, while Ricky Hayes was a first-team selection in 2006.
Patriot League Golf Championship Results
1. Navy 311-307-307-925
2. Bucknell 322-303-317-942
3. Lehigh 325-317-318-960
4. Holy Cross 318-324-320-962
5. Colgate 322-313-330-965
6. Army 317-323-329-969
7. Lafayette 343-315-320-978
Individual Top 10
1. Erich Schoen, Navy 74-74-75-223 +7
2. Ricky Hayes, Colgate 76-71-78-225 +9
3. Ben Hayes, Navy 78-78-72-228 +12
4. Rahul Desai, Bucknell 79-74-78-231 +15
5. David Miller, Navy 78-75-81-234 +18
6. Andrew Cohen, Bucknell 80-73-82-235 +19
7. Tyler Ostrovsky, Lafayette 79-80-77-236 +20
Matt Czarnecki, Holy Cross 78-80-78 +20
Matt Krembel, Army 75-82-79 +20
Ryan Kenny, Holy Cross 76-82-78 +20
First-Team All-Patriot League: Erich Schoen, Navy; Ricky Hayes, Colgate; Ben Hayes, Navy; Rahul Desai, Bucknell; David Miller, Navy
Second-Team All-Patriot League: Andrew Cohen, Bucknell; Tyler Ostrovsky, Lafayette; Matt Czarnecki, Holy Cross; Matt Krembel, Army; Ryan Kenny, Holy Cross.
For final team scores and individual leaders, read the 2008 Patriot League Golf Championship Page.
