May 20, 2009

Patriot League Golf Release - 5.20.09

Center Valley, Pa. - Bucknell claimed the 2009 Patriot League Golf Championship with a comeback on the final day to top Navy and Army, and advanced to the NCAA Regional last weekend. Bucknell junior Andrew Cohen set a Patriot League record with a score of 208 at the Championship, and takes the final monthly honor as the Patriot League's April Golfer of the Month.

Patriot League April Golfer of the Month

Andrew Cohen, Bucknell Jr.,. Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Cohen set a record with score of 208 to win the Patriot League Championship on April 25-26, one of two individual titles he claimed during a strong month. Cohen shot a 2-under 208 to outpace the field by eight strokes at the League Championship and lead the Bison to their third team title in the past four seasons. He was also named the Golf World College Player of the Week after his win in the Championship, and has earned All-Patriot League honors in all three of his seasons. The week prior to the League Championship, Cohen finished first in a field of 45 golfers at the Caves Valley Intercollegiate. He shot a 1-under 141 in the 36-hole event for his first career individual victory. Cohen also competed for the Bison in the NCAA Regional from May 14-16.

April Patriot League Honorable Mention Performances

Matt Krembel, Army So., Shalimar, Fla.

Krembel finished first or second in all three of his events in the month of April, with first-place showings at the Peacock Invitational and Mount St. Mary's Invitational and a second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship. He won the 18-hole Peacock Invitational with a score of 2-over 74 on April 14, and came through with a 3-under 141 to claim the title at the Mount St. Mary's Invitational for the second year in a row. Krembel earned a second-place finish on his home course at the Patriot League Championship, shooting a 6-over 216 in the 54-hole event to help the Black Knights to a third-place team finish.

Patriot League Notebook

Bucknell Wins League Title, Goes to NCAA Regional

Behind a Patriot League record score of 208 from individual champion Andrew Cohen, Bucknell rallied on the final 18 holes on Sunday to surpass Navy and Army and capture the 2009 Patriot League Golf Championship at West Point Golf Course on April 25-26.

The Bison won their third overall crown, all coming in the past four years. They claimed the title by shooting a 292 on Sunday, eight strokes ahead of second-place Navy's score. Cohen led the way with the only under par round in the field with a 1-under 69. Bucknell finished the Championship with a score of 884 (+44), finishing five strokes ahead of the Mids (889/+49) and seven ahead of third-place and host Army (891/+51). Lehigh (899/+59), Lafayette (911/+71), Colgate (923/+83) and Holy Cross (952/+112) round out the field.

Cohen entered Sunday's final round with a two-shot lead over Army's Matt Krembel, and ran away from the field by posting a 1-under 69 for the only round at or under par on the day. Cohen finished the Championship with a 2-under 208, taking Patriot League Player of the Year honors. He shot a 71-68-69 for the three rounds. The total of 208 is the best 54-hole mark in Patriot League Championship history, topping the record of 209 held by four players. Three of those four scores were posted at West Point Golf Course in 2002. Cohen was named Player of the Year, while Navy's Peter Reilly was the Rookie of the Year as the top freshman finisher and the Patriot League Coach of the Year award was split between Army's Jimmy Ray Clevenger, Bucknell's Jim Cotner and Navy's Pat Owen.

Bucknell moved on to the NCAA Central Regional at The Clube at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky. from May 14-16. The Bison finished last in the 14-team field, just four shots behind 13th-place Austin Peay. Sophomore Ben Mattingly led the team with a score of 232 in the 54-hole event, finishing in a tie for 55th in the field of 75 golfers.

Team Notebooks

Army Army had a strong final month, placing 3rd of 15 teams at the Peacock Invitational on April 14, winning the Mt. St. Mary's Invitational on April 20-21 and finishing third while hosting the Patriot League Championship on April 25-26. Army held the lead after 36 holes of the League Championship, but Bucknell and Navy surged ahead of the Black Knights on the final 18 holes. Matt Krembel won the Mt. St. Mary's Invitational and placed second in the Patriot League Championship, garnering First-Team All-League honors. William Park was a Second-Team All-League pick after tyin g for ninth place. Jimmy Ray Clevenger shared Patriot League Coach of the Year recognition.

Bucknell The Bison won their third Patriot League Golf Championship, rallying on the final day to win by five strokes over second-place Navy. Bucknell was in third place going into the final round, but shot a team score of 292 to outpace Navy by eight shots and Army by 11 to claim the title on the final day. Junior Andrew Cohen won Patriot League Player of the Year honors by winning the individual title with a 2-under score of 208, a Patriot League Championship record. Cohen shot 1-under par on the final day. He was named Golf World's College Player of the Week. Cohen was a First-Team All-League selection, while Brian Bartow garnered Second-Team All-League honors after tying for ninth place in the field. Jim Cotner shared the Patriot League Coach of the Year award. Bucknell finished last of 14 teams at the NCAA Regional at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky from Thursday-Saturday.

Colgate The Raiders placed sixth in the Patriot League Championship from April 25-26 with a score of 923 through their 54 holes. Colgate had four players in the top 25 on the leaderboard, including Ben Jessen who led all Raiders with a 20th-place finish. Colgate had two strong tournaments earlier in April, finishing 5th of 21 teams at the Lafayette Invitational and 6th of 18 at the Navy Invitational.

Holy Cross The Crusaders finished in seventh place at the Patriot League Championship on April 25-26. The top finish for the Crusaders came from James Widman and Tim McGovern, who tied for 32nd place at the Championship. Holy Cross also competed at the Lou Flumere Invitational and Northeast Invitational in April.

Lafayette The Leopards recorded a fifth-place showing at the Patriot League Championship. It was their highest finish in the event since placing fourth in 2003. Tyler Ostrovsky led the Leopards with a score of 221 in the event, tying for third in the field and earning First-Team All-Patriot League recognition. Lafayette also played in its own invitational, the Navy Invitational and the Lehigh Valley Cup in April.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks recorded a fourth-place finish at the Patriot League Championship, with Duncan Zeiders and Shane Gilroy each earning Second-Team All-Patriot League honors. Zeiders placed seventh and Gilroy was eighth in the field. Lehigh had a strong month throughout April, winning both the Lafayette Invitational and the Lehigh Valley Cup. The Mountain Hawks also placed ninth at the Navy Invitational.

Navy The Mids placed second in the Patriot League Championship from April 25-26, finishing just five strokes shy of first-place Bucknell. Though Navy was unable to defend its 2008 title, it did finish in the top two of the Championship for the third year in a row. Navy had three players in the top six spots in the field, with Ryan Wielgus and David Miller each claiming First-Team All-Patriot League honors after finishing in a tie for third at the event. Peter Reilly placed sixth to garner Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors as the top freshmen finisher in the field as well as Second-Team All-Patriot League recognition. Pat Owen shared Patriot League Coach of the Year recognition, while Miller was also named the League's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Navy also competed at the Ironwood Collegiate and its own Invitational in April.