Men Win NESCAC Qualfier, Women Runner Up at Home

The Middlebury men’s and women’s golf teams enjoyed extremely successful weekends. The men finished first at the NESCAC Qualifier, hosted by Bowdoin at the Brunswick Golf Club in Brunswick, Maine. The women hosted and earned a second-place finish at the Middlebury Invitational at Ralph Myhre Golf Course.

The men finished with a total combined score of 595 strokes, easily topping second-place Trinity (612) and third-place Amherst (619). It was a crucial victory for the Panthers, who qualified for and earned the right to host the NESCAC Championship next April. Trinity and Amherst also qualified, along with Williams (622).

The men’s team held a commanding 14-stroke lead after day one of the tournament, putting up an incredible score of 292. They then cruised to the easy victory on Sunday with a score of 303.

John Louie ’15 led the way for the Panthers, earning match medalist honors with a score of 145. He narrowly edged teammate Rob Donahoe ’14 (146), who finished second overall in the tournament. Louie and Donahoe both shot rounds of 70 on Saturday, blowing away the rest of the field.

All five of the Middlebury golfers finished in the top 11 overall, demonstrating incredible team depth. In addition to Louie and Donahoe, Chris Atwood ’14 (150) finished in fourth place while Eric Laorr ’15 and Fitz Bowen ’17 tied for ninth place overall with scores of 154.

“We were able to sustain this level of play from our first win at Bowdoin all the way through this win,” Louie said. “Our previous weeks were all in preparation for this weekend and we executed with confidence.”

The NESCAC Championship will take place April 26-27. Middlebury has won the tournament four times in the last ten years, most recently in 2012.

While Williams (628) pulled away from the field early in the women’s tournament, Middlebury (664) was able to earn a second-place finish at their home course. Mount Holyoke (669), Amherst (677), and Vassar (726) rounded out the top five.

The Panthers sat in fourth after the first day, but rallied back with a second-day 326 to pull ahead of Amherst and Mount Holyoke for good.

Jordan Glatt ’15 (161) earned a fourth-place finish overall, trailing only Williams’ top three golfers. Theodora Yoch ’17 (167) finished ninth, while Caroline Kenter ’14 (168) captured a share of tenth place. Michelle Peng ’15 (172) and Monica Chow ’16 (174) also competed for the Panthers.

“Our ability to rebound from a disappointing first day illustrated the passion and determination of the team,” Glatt said. “Each of us has the potential to shoot a good score every round, but the challenge is all playing well at the same time.”

The men will have next weekend off before finishing their fall season by playing in the ECAC Championship on Oct. 12-13 at Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston, Mass. The women will play their last tournament of the season at Williams on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6.