MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – Longwood men's golf climbed up five spots to eighth in a highly competitive field at the Giles-Spratley Collegiate on Tuesday morning. The tournament featured five teams in the top 100 of the NCAA rankings.
Hunter Swidzinski and
David Lafreniere both finished in the top 25 to lead the way, and the Lancers tied for the third-best round of the day as a team at par 72 course at Independence Golf Club.
NOTABLE RESULTS:
Longwood's team score of 283 matched both Liberty and the hosts, Richmond, as all three shot five under par for the round.
The round sent Longwood up five spots into eighth, passing James Madison, Delaware, North Florida and East Carolina in the process. The team's three-round tally was 289-294-283—866 (+2).
Swidzinski posted his second round better than par at the event with a 71 in the final round, and he climbed up eight spots into a tie for 20
th with a 70-74-71—215 (-1). He was incredibly consistent in his final round, where he posted two birdies and 15 pars.
Lafreniere, meanwhile, climbed up 25 spots into a tie for 22
nd with a three-under 69. He played his final seven holes at two-under par, and he finished the day with six birdies to double his total for the event. Over three rounds, he posted a 71-76-69—216 (E).
Matthew Hartley also climbed more than 20 spots in the 82-player field. He moved up 21 spots into a tie for 45
th with a final-round 69. He had four birdies and 13 pars in the round, which was one of the best of his young collegiate career. His three-round total was 78-73-69—220 (+4).
Cameron Hardison closed in a tie for 58
th with a 77-71-74—222 (+6), and he had 12 birdies over the course of his three rounds.
Gabriel Mainella tied for 62
nd with a 71-77-75—223 (+7). He had six birdies in three rounds.
WHAT THEY SAID:
"Coming into today's round, we talked about the opportunity we had in front of us," said Longwood Head Coach
Kevin Fillman. "I'm very happy with how we took advantage of that opportunity. We knew we needed to start fast, and we did. That got us going a bit, and most of us were fortunately able to sustain it throughout the round."
"I'm not a big 'rankings' guy, mostly because I don't believe them to be very accurate, but today was big for us," Fillman added. "We were able to beat some teams that are perceived to be ranked much higher than us, and we showed that we can play with and beat those guys. Hopefully, knowing that we can play at that level will allow us to carry some confidence forward into both Wofford and the Big South Championship."
FULL RESULTS:
1. Charleston: 270-287-278—835 (-29)
2. Florida Gulf Coast: 284-278-286—848 (-16)
3. Liberty: 282-288-283—853 (-11)
4. Richmond: 282-290-283—855 (-9)
5. North Alabama: 289-287-282—858 (-6)
6. Stetson: 290-288-286—864 (E)
7. VCU: 285-287-293—865 (+1)
8. Longwood: 289-294-283—866 (+2)
T9. James Madison: 287-293-292—872 (+8)
T9. Delaware: 288-291-293—872 (+8)
11. North Florida: 292-290-291—873 (+9)
12. Jacksonville: 292-290-295—877 (+13)
13. DePaul: 294-292-294—880 (+16)
14. East Carolina: 300-281-301—882 (+18)
Individual (Longwood)
T20.
Hunter Swidzinski: 70-74-71—215 (-1)
T22.
David Lafreniere: 71-76-69—216 (E)
T45.
Matthew Hartley: 78-73-69—220 (+4)
T58.
Cameron Hardison: 77-71-74—222 (+6)
T62.
Gabriel Mainella: 71-77-75—223 (+7)
UP NEXT:
Longwood returns to the course with one final regular season tournament at the Wofford Invitational next weekend, April 12-14 at the Country Club of Spartanburg.
#GoWood #HorsePower
