Posted: Oct 12, 2018

Golf set to compete in 2018 NAC Championships this weekend

Earning 120 points and 10 first place votes in the prechampionship poll, Husson is poised to earn their 14th North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Golf Championship title in 16 years, and fourth in a row. Salem State (94) is selected to repeat as runner up, followed by UMaine-Farmington in third (74) and Maine Maritime Academy just behind in fourth place with 73 points and the final first place vote.

Filling in the middle of the poll in close contention are Castleton (67) in fifth, SUNY Delhi (65) in sixth, Northern Vermont-Johnson (58) in seventh, and newcomers Thomas and SUNY Canton tied in the eighth spot with 57 points apiece. Rounding out the poll are MCLA (37) and UMaine-Presque Isle (15).

Voting for the prechampionship poll was conducted among the league's head men's golf coaches.

Last season at the NAC Championship, Husson continued their dynasty by claiming the team's 13th NAC Title in 15 years with a two-day total of 601 at the Berkshire Hills Country Club. The Eagles were ahead by 17 strokes (303) after day one and expanded the distance between themselves and the field to end day two (298) with a 26 stroke win and and an automatic berth to the 2017-18 NCAA Championship. Salem State posted a 627 (320, 307) to take runner-up honors, while UMaine-Farmington followed with 645 (327, 318) for third and Maine Maritime took fourth with a 658 (327, 331).

Rounding out the 2017 field were MCLA 664 (323, 341), Johnson State 695 (355, 340), Castleton 709 (370, 339), Green Mountain 781 (392, 389) and UMaine-Presque Isle 926 (466, 460). Click HERE to view the final results from 2017.

The NAC welcomes Thomas College (ME), SUNY Delhi and SUNY Canton to the golf course in 2018, while seeing the departure of Green Mountain College. The field of 11 compete for the title on October 13th & 14th at the Country Club of Vermont, hosted by Northern Vermont-Johnson. The team champion will represent the NAC in the 2018-19 NCAA Division III national championship this spring.

2018 NAC Men's Golf Championship Preview

Click the school name to be directed to the men's golf section of each school's website.

1. Husson 120 points (10 first place votes) Husson is led by the 2017 NAC Coach of the Year Mike Dugas, in his fifth season at the helm. The Eagles returned all of their top five golfers from last season's NAC Championship squad including the 2017 NAC Golfer of the Year Gavin Dugas (Pittsfield, Maine), and the 2017 NAC Rookie of the Year Eric Dugas (Pittsfield, Maine), who made the 2018 NCAA tournament cut. Also returning to the links for their final NAC Championship this season are Daulton Wickenden (Rockport, Maine), Mackenzie Clow (Summerside, P.E.I., Canada), and Taylor Morang (Winthrop, Maine). The Dugas brothers, Clow, Wickenden and Morang all earned NAC First Team honors after finishing in the top six at the 2017 NAC Championship. Husson will be looking to capture the team's 14th NAC Championship in the last 16 years.
2. Salem State 94 points First year head coach Kevin Daly leads the 2017 NAC runner up squad that returns senior Eric Powers (Danvers, Mass.), a second-team all-conference selection a year ago. Powers recently earned co-medalist honors at the 2018 MASCAC Championship at Blackstone National Golf Club. Junior Reed Bourgeois (Dracut, Mass.), who finished 17th overall at last year's NAC Championship, is another key returner for the Vikings. Salem State hosts three new starters in this year's lineup - Justin Serowik (Marblehead, Mass.), Christian McKenna (Danvers, Mass) and Nick Sheehan (West Newbury, Mass) - who should help Salem State be in the mix for a conference championship.
3. UMaine-Farmington 74 points Veteran head coach Robert Timmins returns to the links after a third place finish in 2017. Returning players senior Eric Aguiar (Plymouth, NH), junior Matt Pelletier (South Portland, Maine), and sophomore Charles DeHass (Winthrop, Maine) have competition experience that will provide leadership for a young and developing team with five freshmen on the roster.
4. Maine Maritime 73 points (1 first place vote) Head Coach Noah Tapley leads the Mariners in his fifth season. Joey Moir (Bangor, Maine) returns for his senior season, after leading Maine Maritime to a fourth place finish at the 2017 NAC Championship, where he earned second-team all-conferencce honors. The Mariners have had a competitive fall preparing for the NAC Championships and look to improve on their fourth place finish last season.
5. Castleton 67 points Castleton enters the NAC Championship Tournament with a trio of top-five team finishes this season, including a win at their own Castleton Invitational. Head coach Brian Hill (fourth season) leads his team of golfers, headlined by rookie Nicholas Ojala (Proctor, Vt.) and junior Jacob Erwin (Port Dover, Ontario). Ojala has a stroke average of 78.0 on the season, while Erwin sits behind him at 78.5. Sophomore Jordon Ayer (Hinesburg, Vt.), Sophomore Tripp Norris (Shelburne, Vt.) and junior Caleb Fizer (Sarasota, Fla.) round out the regular starting-five. Castleton finished seventh in last season's NAC Championship.
6. SUNY Delhi 65 points Veteran head coach Dave Arehart led the Broncos to a 2017 USCAA national championship where Russell Herbert (Freehold, NJ) finished tied for first on the leaderboard, with a tiebreaking playoff separating him from claiming the individual national title, and Aaron Oliver (Trumansburg, NY) earned second-team All-American honors. The Broncos and are entering Division III and their first NAC championship fresh off a second place finish in the 2018 USCAA Championship where junior Alex Fisher (Great Valley, NY) and Sophomore Daneil Christy (Canton, NY) earned All-American status, and senior Brandon Palmer (Norfolk, NY) was named USCAA's Golf Student-Athlete of the Year. Head coach Dave Arehart's squad looks to translate over their nationally-recognized achievements at the NAIA and USCAA levels to NCAA Division III competition.
7. NVU-Johnson 58 points The Northern Vermont University-Johnson men's golf team placed 6th in the NAC Championship in 2017. Bill Boldwin has been at the helm of the Badgers program since 2011. The Badgers have finished 1st in three invitationals this season led by David Albright (Grantham, N.H.) and Austin Walters (Grantham, N.H.), who return for their final NAC Championship. Albright has earned medalist honors three times this season and is poised to contend for the NAC Championship.
T8. Thomas 57 points Thomas Head Coach Don Roberts leads the Terriers into their first NAC Championship in their first season at the varsity level. The Terriers have been led by sophomore Zachary Gagne (Augusta, Maine) this season; while sophomore Caleb Roy (Lyman, Maine) and junior Ryan Chasse (Fort Kent, Maine) have also been fixtures at the top of the Thomas lineup. The Terriers will look to push to the top of the leaderboard as they find their place among conference competition.
T8. SUNY Canton 57 points Head Coach and PGA Professional Kevin Maginn is in his eighth season coaching the Roos. The team is led by junior Matthew Russell (Cranberry Lake, NY) who has a team-best 78.58 scoring average and has won a pair of tournaments this season. Three-time NAC Rookie of the Week Josh Marshall (Syracuse, NY) ranks second on the team in scoring average (82.75) with three top 10 finishes during his rookie season. Senior Tom Rancour (Moriah, NY), junior Devin Page (Massena, NY), and sophomore Azzat Almasri (Liverpool, NY) round out the Roos squad for their first NAC Championship match.
10. MCLA 37 points Head Coach Peter Egazarian (2nd Season) enters the NAC Championship with junior Reese Dwyer (Groveland, MA) leading the way. Dwyer led the Trailblazers in scoring all season and looks to extend that perfomance into the NAC Championship. Bobby New (Pittsfield, MA) is coming off of his best showing of the season at the Elms Invitational. MCLA finished last season's NAC championships in fifth place and have their sights set on improving in 2018.
11. UMaine-Presque Isle 15 points The University of Maine at Presque Isle golf team is coached by 2nd year head coach Joseph Zubrick. The Owls best outing this season came on September 29th when UMPI finished 3rd at the University of Maine at Augusta Invitational. In their last match, junior Michael Boone (Presque Isle, ME) led the team with a 27th place finish in the Mariner Invitational on October 4th. A late addition in first year golfer Jack Bates (Brunswick, ME) has given the Owls a boost as they head into the NAC Championship for the first time.