Four MGA Champs Advance to NCAA Championship

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (May 24, 2010) – Four Met Area collegiate golfers have advanced, along with their respective teams, to the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, which begins on June 1 at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Morgan Hoffmann, the 23rd-ranked player in the nation and the 2005 Carter Cup champion, finished t-3 at the Southeast Regional as his Oklahoma State Cowboys, the #1 team in the country, finished first.

Another past champion of the Carter Cup, Chris DeForest, a junior on the 12th-ranked University of Illinois team, finished t-58th at regionals, and the Fighting Illini claimed the fifth and final spot in the West Regional to advance to Tennessee. Kevin Foley, the 2008 Ike champion, finished in 4th place to help his Penn State Nittany Lions squad advance to the big show. Foley’s teammate, 2008 & ’06 Met Amateur champ Tommy McDonagh, finished t-41 at the East Regional, held at the Yale University Golf Course in New Haven, Conn.

On the women’s side, Marina Alex finished t-21 at the NCAA Women’s Division I National Championship. Alex, who finished her sophomore season at Vanderbilt, helped the Vandals to a 7th-place finish. Alex finished her season as the #5 player in the country.

Met Area Collegiate Golfers Eye NCAA Tournament

May 3, 2010 [updated May 12] - The 2010 college golf season is entering its final stage as the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship field was announced on May 10. Throughout the season, the Met Area was well-represented, as local players contributed greatly to their team’s successes. These teens and early 20-somethings also did themselves justice in the form of individual victories, conference player of the week honors, and special conference awards. Following is a roundup of some of the Met Area collegians who are making headlines.

2008 Ike champion and Penn State senior Kevin Foley of Neshanic Valley and Somerville, N.J., had two individual victories in April 2010 at the Rutherford Intercollegiate, and the Kepler Intercollegiate. The win at the Kepler earned Foley Big Ten Player of the Week honors. At the Rutherford, in State College, Pa., Foley was one of only two players to break 70 on his way to a first-place finish, helping the Nittany Lions earn a 20-stroke victory over second-place Towson. At the Kepler, in Columbus, Ohio, Foley fired a tournament-record, three-round total of 205. With the two victories, the fifth and sixth of his collegiate career, Foley now holds the individual title record at Penn State. Foley also won the 2009 Ike Team Championship. Foley’s teammate, 2008 and ’06 Met Amateur champion Tommy McDonagh, finished t-6 at the Rutherford and t-13 at the Kepler. Foley and McDonagh also finished t-22 and t-48, respectively, at the Big Ten Championship. Hoping to keep his senior year going at NCAAs, Foley is the 48th-ranked player in the nation.

Illinois junior Chris DeForest of Rondout and Cottekill, N.Y., finished in first place at the FAU Spring Break Invitational at Gleneagles Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla., March 26-28. It was DeForest’s first individual victory for the Illini in 2010, and helped contribute to the team’s #10 national ranking. DeForest also helped Illinois win the Big Ten Championship with a t-10 individual finish. DeForest won consecutive Big Ten Player of the Week honors this spring, for a tally of four this season. His most recent player of the week honor was for his medalist finish en route to the Illini’s team win at the Boilermaker Invitational. DeForest also won the Les Bolstad Award signifying the top stroke average in the Big Ten (71.54).

2008 Ike runner-up and Oklahoma State sophomore Morgan Hoffmann of Arcola and Wyckoff, N.J., was named to the All-Big 12 team after finishing t-7 at the Big 12 Championship. Hoffmann helped the Cowboys to their fourth straight Big 12 team victory, and the Cowboys are ranked #1 in the nation heading into the NCAA tournament. In 2010, Hoffmann had four top-10 performances, including a runner-up finish at the Ping/Golfweek Invitational and a third-place finish at the Gifford Collegiate. Hoffmann is the 26th-ranked player in the country.

  

On the women’s side, Marina Alex of Wayne, N.J., and a sophomore at Vanderbilt had arguably the best season of any Met Area collegian. Alex won medalist honors at the SEC Championship and was named the SEC Player of the Year in her sophomore campaign. The New Jersey native also finished in the top ten in every event she played in this season, which included winning the conference championship, finishing second four times and third once. She is currently the fourth-ranked player in the nation and led the SEC in scoring with an average of 71.3. Alex and the Commodores finished t-9th and in fifth place, respectively, at the NCAA East Regional to advance to the NCAA Championship, slated for May 18-21 at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C.

Chris Scialo of Spook Rock and New City, N.Y., and the 2009 Brae Burn Invitational champion, finished tied for fourth to lead Towson University to the Colonial Athletic Association league title on April 18 at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Va. Scialo, a senior, fired a three-round total of 220 as Towson surged to an 11-stroke victory over The College of William & Mary. Scialo was a quarterfinalist at the 2009 Met Amateur and finished tied for fifth at the 2009 MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship. Scialo also finished in third place at the Rutherford Intercollegiate.

Andrew Cohen of Hampshire and Mamaroneck, N.Y., and a senior at Bucknell, finished off a tremendous collegiate career with a t-10 performance at the Patriot League Championship. In turn, Cohen earned his fourth selection to the All-Patriot team. Cohen also won the Lafayette Invitational, his fourth victory as a Bison. Cohen’s Met Area teammates, Jeff Pike of Apawamis and Rye, N.Y., and Brian Bartow, of Wykagyl and also of Rye, had solid finishes to round out their college careers. Pike’s best showing this season was a second-place finish at the St. Peter’s Invitational held at Neshanic Valley GC in Neshanic Station, N.J.

 Another senior who wrapped up a stellar collegiate career was Mike Ballo Jr. at St. John’s University. Ballo, the 2009 Ike champion, was named to this year’s All-Big East team and served as both a senior captain and mentor for younger brother Peter Ballo, who finished his freshman year for the Red Storm.

DePaul sophomore Michael Furci of Sayville, N.Y., and Island Hills Golf Club, was named to the All-Big East team. He finished in a tie for fifth at the Big East Championship, and led the Blue Demons this season with a 74.00 scoring average.

Robert Cerabone of Smithtown Landing Country Club and a junior at Fairleigh Dickinson, finished as the medalist at the Northeast Conference Championship held at ChampionsGate Golf Club in ChampionshipGate, FL. With the win, Cerabone will represent Fairleigh Dickinson as an individual at the NCAA regional matches.

 

Regional assignments for the NCAA Tournament were announced on Monday, May 10 for the six Regional sites, which include the Yale Golf Course in New Haven, Conn. Foley, McDonagh and the rest of the Penn State Nittany Lion squad will be in the field in New Haven, while Hoffmann and the Cowboys are the top seed at the Georgia regional at the Capital City Club in Alpharetta, Ga. Scialo’s Tigers also got the Georgia bid along with Cerabone of Fairleigh Dickinson. DeForest and the Big Ten champs from Illinois will travel to the Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash. The top five teams at each regional advance to the NCAA Championships, to be held June 1-5 in Chattanooga, Tenn.