MAAC Announces 40th Anniversary Golf Team
MAAC Announces 40th Anniversary Golf Team
Edison, N.J. (Aug. 4, 2020) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40
th Anniversary throughout the 2020-21 academic year, continuing its mission to provide student-athletes the opportunity to succeed in both academics and athletics.
The 40
th Anniversary Golf Team highlights some of the best student-athletes in MAAC history. MAAC Indoor Golf traces back to 1982, when Army won the first MAAC Championship for the men. Loyola University, a former MAAC member, leads the conference with 15 men’s championships while Army West Point, also a former member, has nine. On the women’s side, Siena College leads the MAAC with 13 titles.
The MAAC Golf Championships are set to return Apr. 23-25 in 2021 at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
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th Anniversary Teams and information follow @MAACSports on
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| University at Albany |
| Women |
Annie Songeun Lee – 2015-18
Annie Songeun Lee was the MAAC Individual Champion at the 2015 and 2018 Championships in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. IN 2015, she was also named MAAC Rookie of the Year. She paced the Great Danes to MAAC Women’s Championships those same seasons. |
| Canisius College |
| Men |
| Michael Carrig |
2010-13 |
| Drew Creighton |
2006-10 |
| David Hanes |
2016-Pres |
| Rob Krajewski |
2001-05 |
Glenn Gast – 1992, 94-96
One of two former Canisius golfers in the College's Sports Hall of Fame, Glenn Gast is the only Canisius golfer to finish in the top-10 at the MAAC Golf Championship tournament in three-straight years. In 1995, Gast's second-place finish at the MAAC Championship with a score of 147 was the best individual performance for a Golden Griffin at the league's championship event, as the team placed third overall. |
| University of Dayton |
| Women |
| Sarah Frazier |
2018-Pres |
Abby Bitto – 2018-pres
Abby Bitto placed 4th at the 2019 MAAC Championships to lead the Flyers to a tie for a runner-up finish, UD's highest finish in program histoy. Bitto also earned MAAC all-conference honors as a freshman, leading the Flyers to a third-place at the conference championship with her team-best sixth-place finish. Bitto was named to the 2018-19 All-MAAC Academic Team as well as a 2018-19 and 2019-20 WGCA All-American Scholar. She'll be a senior for the Flyers during the 2020-21 season. |
| Fairfield University |
| Men |
| Craig Anzolar |
1996-00 |
| Ricky Dowling |
2011-15 |
| Dan Dumais |
1980-82 |
| Scott Rainaud |
2009-13 |
| Alex Taylor |
2012-17 |
Steve Burak – 2012-15
Steve Burak was the first Stag to ever compete at an NCAA Regional after winning the 2013 McLeod Trophy. His 208 (69-71-68) at the MAAC Championship remains the program standard for a 54-hole championship and was the first-ever score in conference history with two rounds in the 60s. Burak also placed fourth overall at the 2015 MAAC Championship. |
| Women |
| Olivia Brooks |
2012-16 |
| Kristen MacDonald |
2007-11 |
| Emma Ritzmann |
2011-15 |
| Allie Schick |
2001-05 |
Sarah Scatamacchia – 1997-01
Sarah Scatamacchia won the first two women's McLeod Trophies in MAAC history in 1998 and 2000 (no tournament held in 1999). The Stags went on to win th team MAAC Championhip in both of those campaigns. |
Coach Len Roberto
Roberto led the Stags from 1998-2016 and is one of only two three-time MAAC Coach of the Year winners in conference men’s golf history. He mentored two different Stags to back-to-back McLeod Trophy wins in 2013 and 2014 and also coached Scott Rainaud to the 2011 Rookie of the Year award. |
| Iona College |
| Men |
| Justin Burkhamer |
2017-Pres |
| Anthony Casalino |
1998-02 |
| Kevin Frawley |
1990-94 |
| Dylan Newman |
2009-13 |
Pat Lyons – 1992-96
Pat Lyons has left a profound imprint with the Iona golf program. Being a duel sport athlete with both hockey and golf, Lyons was the captain of the golf program his junior and senior seasons. He was part of Iona’s first ever MAAC Championship team in 1994, a year in which Sean Staley won Iona’s first-ever individual title. The Gaels finished in the top half of the MAAC final tournament standings in each year he competed. Lyons was honored with the Joseph E. O’Connell Award as a senior, which is given annually to Iona’s most outstanding student-athlete. As a coach, Lyons led the golf team to its most successful four-year span. At the helm of the Gaels from 1998-2002, he directed the squad to three MAAC Championship and earned a berth in the NCAA Golf Championship in each of his three full seasons. In 2002, Lance McGray won the individual crown at the league’s culminating event. His programs also won eight tournaments while maintaining one of the highest GPA’s for any male team at Iona. |
Coach Sean Burke
Current head coach Sean Burke is entering his seventh season at the helm of the Iona golf program and has elevated it to one of the conference's steadiest programs. Burke has won back-to-back MAAC Championships in 2018 and 2019, and he has claimed MAAC Coach of the Year in both those title seasons. The MAAC Tournament Championships has allowed the Maroon & Gold to participate in the 2017-18 NCAA Raleigh Regional and 2018-19 NCAA Pullman Regional. Iona placed 14th in the Raleigh Regional and tied its best ever team score to par in an NCAA event at 904 (+52). Justin Burkhamer dominated the first day of the regional with a 64 (-7); it is the lowest single-round scored recorded by a MAAC student-athlete at an NCAA event. Burke has had two MAAC Rookie of the Year student-athletes in his time with Paolo Matti in 2016 and Justin Burkhamer and 2018. He has had six All-MAAC Performers at the league championship; an award that was first adapted in 2018.
|
| Manhattan College |
| Men |
| Nicolas LaBanca |
2006-10 |
| Connor O’Rourke |
2016-18 |
| Thomas Romano |
2007-11 |
| John Van Cora |
1982-86 |
Chris Damiano – 1999-03
Chris Damiano had an outstanding four-year run as a member of the golf team, All-MAAC honors every season. He made an immediate impact in winning the McLeod Trophy with the lowest score of the championship as a freshman in 2000. He would post back-to-back fourth-place finishes as a sophomore (2001) and junior (2002), before finishing sixth as a senior (2003). Following graduation, he played professionally. |
| Monmouth University |
| Women |
Sarah Kokotajlo – 2014-18
Kokatojlo was the 2016 MAAC runner-up, one shot behind the individual champion while finishing in the top-15 twice and top-25 three times at MAAC Championships. |
| Niagara University |
| Men |
| Brad Chapman |
2002-04 |
| Christian Nizamis |
2014-18 |
| Daniel Weimer |
2013-17 |
Chris Agostinelli – 2003-06
Chris Agostinelli led Niagara in over half the events he played in during his three-year career. He led the team at the 2003-04 MAAC Championships and also helped the team to its then-highest MAAC tournament finish in program history (3rd). Agostinelli helped NU to a 4th place finish at the 2004-04 MAAC Championships and 5th place finish at the 2005-06 MAAC Championships. |
| Women |
| Selena Cerra |
2013-17 |
| Emily Doyle |
2015-18 |
| April Nimjareansuk |
2011-15 |
| Brittany Siechen |
2009-13 |
Sarah Godfrey – 2016-20
Sarah Godfrey became the first player in Niagara women's golf history to earn an individual title at a tournament, winning the Vanessa Picciotto Perrine Intercollegiate during the 2019-20 fall season. Godfrey was a consistent performer for NU in her four years, earning many top-20 finishes. She earned her first-ever first place finish in a dual match with Saint Francis (Pa.) during her junior season and had her best finish at the MAAC Championships that year as well, placing 19th. |
| Quinnipiac University |
| Women |
| Julia Kemmling |
2015-19 |
| Queenie Lai |
2017-21 |
| Nicole Scola |
2013-17 |
| Luciana Tobia |
2015-19 |
Alexandra Sazhin – 2016-20
Alexandra Sazhin burst onto the scene as a rookie in the 2016-17 season when she won the MAAC Championship and claimed both the Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards with a 54-hole score of +15 (231). The 2020 graduate was also a four-time WGCA Scholar All-America selection for her academic efforts. |
Coach John O’Connor
Head Coach John O’Connor has taken the Quinnipiac women’s golf program to the top since their introduction to the MAAC in 2014. O’Connor led the program to back-to-back MAAC Championships in 2016 and 2017, as well as a second-place finish in the program’s first MAAC season in 2014. The team has never finished below fourth in the conference under O’Connor. He has recruited three MAAC Rookie of the Years, coached two MAAC Player of the Years, and has received three MAAC Coach of the Year awards. |
| Rider University |
| Men |
| Austin Devereux |
2017-Pres |
| Eric LeFante |
2006-10 |
| Jake Sollon |
2016-20 |
| Bob Whartenby |
2000-04 |
Tyler Brewington – 2004-08
Brewington was a four-time All-MAAC honoree, improving his finish at MAAC Championships in each year, with a fifth-place finish as a freshman, fourth place as a sophomore, third as a junior and second as a senior. During the summer of 2007, he participated in the 107th U.S. Amateur in California after qualifying at the PGA Nationwide Tournament. He won the Peacock Invitational in the spring 2007. In the fall of 2007, he was the medalist out of 69 golfers at Mount St. Mary’s, winning in a playoff after shooting a 143. He also won at St. Bonaventure and placed second at Bucknell and Cornell and third at Colgate, earning September Athlete of the Month honors at Rider. In the fall of 2006, he was the medalist at both the Cornell Invitational and the Bucknell Invitational, leading Rider to a first-place finish in both 15-team events. He placed runner-up at the St. Bonaventure tournament, where he broke the Rider record for a 36-hole score when he shot a 137. |
| Saint Peter’s University |
| Men |
| Andrew Gain |
2012 |
| Jeffrey Peters |
2017-Pres |
| T.J. Sumigray |
2012 |
| Mike Winters |
2015-19 |
Nick Dilio – 2012-16
Nick Dilio claimed the 2016 MAAC Individual title, the first ever for Saint Peter's, en route to being named the recipient of the McLeod Trophy as the tournament's most valuable player; he also qualified for the NCAA Regional tournament as an individual. Dilio also finished as the MAAC individual runner-up as a junior, placed eighth as a sophomore, and was slotted 15th as a freshman, making him a three-time All-MAAC recipient and four-time top-15 finisher at the MAAC Championships. Dilio's teams won back-to-back MAAC Team Championships in 2014 and 2015, making him a three-time NCAA Regional participant during his four-year career. Dilio is the only person in MAAC history to win both the McLeod Trophy as a player and the Coach of the Year trophy as a head coach. |
Coach Peter Falloon
Falloon led the Peacocks to consecutive MAAC Men's Golf Championships in 2014 and 2015, with two NCAA Regional appearances in the same seasons. Falloon was named the MAAC Coach of the Year three times in four years, earning the honor in 2012, 2014 and 2015. |
| Siena College |
| Men |
| Dan Abbondandolo |
2005-09 |
| Jack Brown |
2016-20 |
| Michael Christifulli |
2014-18 |
| Don DeNyse III |
2007-11 |
Bryan Bigley – 2003-07
The most accomplished golfer in program history, Bigley was selected to the Siena Athletics Fall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2012. The 2005 McLeod Trophy winner (MAAC Individual Medalist), he led the Saints to back-to-back team titles in 2006 & 2007, and was a four-time All-MAAC finisher. Bigley still owns the program marks for scoring average (74.98), wins (7), top-10 finishes (20), rounds of par or better (23), finish percentage (77.6), birdies (222) and low round (64) |
Coach Tom Wronowski
Wronowski coached the Saints from 1997-2015 and led Siena to MAAC Championship titles in 2006 and 2007, with the team making its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance in 2006. He coached two McLeod Trophy (individual medalist) finishers at MAAC Championships and was named MAAC Coach of the Year three times (2005, 2007, 2010). |
| Women |
| Kristen Bromley |
2013-17 |
| Katelynn Mannix |
2007-11 |
| Victoria Nguyen |
2011-15 |
| Kylie Strijek |
2010-14 |
Sara Riso – 2015-19
Riso concluded her collegiate career as the program's all-time leader in scoring average (79.26), rounds of par or better (5), birdies (118), and low round (66). A three-time All-MAAC finisher (2017-19), she also took home one MAAC Golfer of the Month and a pair of MAAC Golfer of the Week honors. |
Coach Dave Wronowski
Head coach Dave Wronowski has been at the helm of the Siena women's program since 2005. He has led the Saints to eight titles during his first nine seasons (2005-12, 2014) and has had the team advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and 2014. Wronowski is a four-time MAAC coach of the Year (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014). |
| Former MAAC Members |
| Dave Duffy (Army) |
| Tim Ertmer (Army) |
| Jason Cage (Loyola) |
1998-01 |
| Michael Mulieri (Loyola) |
2006-09 |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40
th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.