After a roller-coaster ride that was its season, the end has finally come for the AU Men's Golf team.
The team finished in third place at the Patriot League championship at Bucknell University's golf course. The Eagles posted a team score of 878, 38 strokes above par and 18 strokes behind Army, the tournament's winner for the second year in a row.
AU freshman Kevin Horan posted the best individual score for the team, carding rounds of 75,68 and 70 en route to a 3-over 213 and a third-place finish. Sophomore Adam Kolloff, who played well for the Eagles all spring, continued his strong form with a +8 218 (70-76-72) and a sixth-place finish.
The sixth-place finish marked the third time this spring that Kolloff has finished in the top 12 in the individual standings and the sixth time that he has placed either first or second among AU golfers.
Sophomore Todd Shagin finished in 14th place after carding a total score of 225 (+15, 80-67-78), a finish he said could have been better.
"I was very disappointed with the result," Shagin said. "I don't feel like we played very well, and the result was extremely [frustrating]."
Rounding out the scoring for the Eagles were freshmen Alex Wenzel, Howard Smith and Billy Lacey. Wenzel finished in 16th place after shooting a +16 226 (74-75-77), while Smith's 239 (+29, 86-79-74) was good enough for 39th place. Lacey shot a +32 242 (81-81-80) and finished in 42nd place.
After the tournament, Shagin reflected on a season that is now over and a career at AU that has also met the same fate.
"I haven't felt like I've been part of AU golf all season long, so this being the end really makes me feel no different," Shagin said. "But it feels nice to be free of obligations to the school, and I'm certainly not going to miss it."
The victor, Army, posted a team score of 860 (+20,284-283-293), which gave it a 7-stroke victory over host Bucknell. Bucknell's Charles Waddell took home individual honors, carding rounds of 67, 71 and 71 en route to a 1-under-par 209 and a one-stroke victory.
Army advances to the NCAA tournament May 19-21, where it will play in Nashville, Tenn.; South Bend, Ind.; or Stanford, Calif.
