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Williamsburg. VA -- With the pressure mounting and the holes dwindling, Howard found another gear.
The Bison staged a memorable rally, erased a five-shot deficit entering the final round - and overcame a gap that grew to as many as 11 strokes on the front nine - to defend its NEC men’s golf title on the par-71 River Coure at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA.
Howard carded the day's best round - a 5-over 289 - to finish the 54-hole tournament at 8-over 860 and deny LIU’s bid for a wire-to-wire championship run. The Sharks finished two strokes back at 10-over 862 to claim runner-up honors. FDU claimed the final podium spot, shooting 17-over for an 869 team score. Le Moyne and Wagner rounded out the top five, separated by one stroke, with the Dolphins carding a 39-over 891 and the Seahawks posting a 40-over 892.
FDU’s
Pyae Phyo Thu (Myanmar) made sure the Bison weren’t the only ones dancing, as the senior punched his NCAA ticket to NCAA postseason play. The 2024 second team All-NEC performer finished the weekend with a flourish, firing a 2-under 69 on the day to finish 7-under par performance, five strokes ahead of the field and one stroke shy of the NEC’s 54-hole individual record set by Sacred Heart’s Marcus Lim at the 2024 meet. Thu tallied 12 birdies across his three rounds, highlighted by five birdies in the second round alone that gave way to a 3-under par 68. It was the third top-10 finish for the Myanmar native, who tied for seventh last spring and took 10th in 2022.
First-team All-NEC junior
Marcelo Mexsen (Torreon, Mexico/Instituto Cumbres de Torreon) of LIU and Le Moyne sophomore
Owen Corby (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) tied for runner-upp honors. The duo finished a 2-under par through 54 holes. Mexsen, the 2023 NEC individual champion, recorded 16 birdies, while Corby posted ten birdies and one eagle.
Howard sported four players in the top-10, highlighted by
Mathis Perroni (Metz, France/French High School Champion at Cormontaigne) and
Marcus Smith Jr. (Rockford, IL/Winnebago) tying for fourth place, each carding 212 for 1-under par. Teammate
Cassius Blake (Birmingham, England/Hartpury College) joined LIU’s
Tom Winn (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia/Villanova College) and North Carolina Central’s
Jamal Hutchison (Fletcher, NC/Christ School) in a three-way tie for sixth place, shooting 4-over 217.
LIU’s
Taimur Malik (Nairobi, Kenya/Braeburn Garden Estate) and Howard’s
Bear Huff (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King, Jr.) rounded out the top-ten, finishing ninth and tenth respectively. Malik finished 5-over 218, while Huff carded a 6-over 219, highlighted by a 1-under par on the final day.
Howard will represent the NEC at NCAA Regionals next month. Thu qualified for NCAAs as an individual.
Final Team Standings
1. Howard - 285-286-289=860 (+8)
2. LIU - 283- 281-298=862 (+10)
3. FDU - 291-284-294=869 (+17)
4. Le Moyne - 303-294-294=891 (+39)
5. Wagner - 298-299-295=892 (+40)
6. Binghamton - 310-290-297=897 (+45)
7. Chicago State - 292-309-311=912 (+60)
8. UMES - 312-307-321=940 (+88)
9. Saint Francis U - 306-318-317=941 (+89)
10. NC Central - 322-304-319=945 (+93)
11. Mercyhurst - 312-319-323=954 (+102)
Final Individual Leaders
1. Pyae Phyo Thu, FDU - 69-68-69=206 (-7)
T2. Marcelo Mexsen, LIU - 73-68-70=211 (-2)
T2. Owen Corby, LEM - 70-70-71=211 (-2)
T4. Mathis Perroni, HOW - 69-70-73=212 (-1)
T4. Marcus Smith Jr., HOW - 71-70-71=212 (-1)
T6. Cassius Blake, HOW - 71-71-75=217 (+4)
T6. Tom Winn, LIU - 71-72-74=217 (+4)
T6. Jamal Hutchison, NCCU - 72-69-76=217 (+4)
9. Taimur Malik, LIU - 73-71-71=218 (+5)
10. Bear Huff, HOW - 74-75-70=19 (+6)