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Bridgewater, NJ -- The NEC men's golf postseason awards landscape looked awfully familiar once again.

LIU junior Arjun Singh Bhatia (Chandigarh, India/Saint Kabir) became just the third golfer in league history to repeat as NEC Golfer of the Year after he took home the conference’s individual title in April.

Howard sixth-year head coach Sam Puryear was selected NEC Coach of the Year by his peers for the second time in the last three years after the Bison completed a three-peat at this year’s conference championship.

Fresh off a strong freshman campaign top-three finish at the NEC championship, FDU freshman Pietro Maria Piccoli (Verona, Italy/Montverde Italy) was tabbed the NEC Rookie of the Year.

A two-time NEC Golfer of the Week/Month, Singh Bhatia finished the season with a 71.7 stroke average, which ranked second in the conference. The junior completed six competitions under par, including a 5-under 208 to take home the NEC individual title for the first time in his career in late April. Five of those six under-par performances led to top-five finishes in tournament fields of up to 123 competitors. In total, Singh Bhatia produced six top five outings, coming at the NEC Championship, Shark Invitational, Peoples Championship, Iona Invitational, Ironwood Intercollegiate and the Asia Pan Pacific Tournament. The India native was the only golfer at the league meet to shoot under par in all three rounds. He carded a 2-under 69 in rounds one and three, along with a 1-under 70 on round two. In addition to taking home the individual title, he led LIU to a second-place team finish.

Singh Bhatia became the second Shark to be named NEC Golfer of the Year, joining Josh Waters, who was recognied in 2013. He also joined Sacred Heart's Marcus Lim (2022-2023-2024) and Partick Fillian (2008-2009) as the only golfers to win the league's top honor in back-to-back seasons and multiple times in their careers. Singh Bhatia attained All-NEC first team status for the second consecutive season as well.

Becoming the first squad to three-peat as NEC champs in 25 years, Howard maintained a championship-caliber level on the course throughout the entire season under Puryear’s direction. As a team, Howard placed in the top-five at three different competitions, including a tournament win at the Colin Montgomerie Invitational hosted by Houston Christian. On its way to the NEC crown, the Bison were the only team to shoot par or better at the championship as Howard carded a 2-under 282 in round one and rallied on the final day for a par 284 to clinch the title. The Bison will be making their third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Regionals on Monday, May 18.

Under Puryear’s tutelage, 12 Howard golfers have been tabbed NEC all-stars, including a league-high five this season. Landing on the 2026 All-Conference first team for the Bison were Bear Huff (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.), Francisco Perez (Los Mochis, Mexico/Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Los Mochis (Tyler JC)) and Mathis Perroni (Metz, France/French High School Champion at Cormontaigne (New Mexico JC)), while Marlon Jones (Berkeley, CA/Saint Mary’s College High School (San Jose State)) and Michael Perusse (Pearland, TX/Lutheran South Academy (Western Texas College)) were both tabbed to the second team.

Puryear earned distinction as the ninth head coach to win multiple NEC Coach of the Year awards and the second active skipper in the league to complete the feat.

Carding a 1-under 212 at the NEC Championship, Piccoli completed his rookie season with a third place showing. The two-time NEC Golfer of the Week/Month registered a 73.4 stroke average through 26 rounds on the year, which ranked ninth in the league and the best of all rookies. Piccoli clinched his first-ever collegiate tournament title after tying for the top spot at the Lehigh Invitational in October with a 2-under 142 across 36 holes. The freshman phenom also added a top-three finish at the Bucknell Invitational and shot under par in a trio of competitions. Piccoli joined exclusive company as the third FDU golfer to earn NEC Rookie of the Year accolades, joining Robert Cerabone (2008) and Leon Heitz (2022). Additionally, the native of Verona, Italy claimed a spot on the All-Conference second team, the lone freshman to achieve all-star status.

AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS

• Three-time defending champion Howard led the way with the most selections to the All-Conference teams, as its entire championship lineup earned the distinction. LIU followed suit with two all-stars, while FDU, Le Moyne and New Haven all had one honoree apiece.
• After an individual runner-up finish at the NEC Championship, Bear Huff was voted to the All-NEC first team. He fired a team-best 2-under 211 for the Bison. Huff also posted the fourth-best stroke average in the conference with a 72.6 on the year.
• A one-time NEC Golfer of the Week this season, Francisco Perez obtained first team all-star status after logging a 72.3 stroke average, which ranked third among all NEC golfers.
• Howard junior Mathis Perroni upgraded his second squad selection from a year ago to an All-Conference first team accolade this season. Perroni tied the best single-round score of the conference tournament with a 3-under 68 on the final day. 
• New Haven sophomore sensation Tommaso Rossin (Milan, Italy/Istituto Leonardo Da Vinci (Louisiana Monroe)) made history as the Chargers' first All-NEC pick in their inaugural season as a league member. A two-time NEC Golfer of the Week, Rossin completed the season with a conference-best 71.6 stroke average. 
• For the third time in his career, LIU's Taimur Malik (Nairobi, Kenya/Braeburn Garden Estate) was recognized as an All-Conference golfer. He was tabbed to the second squad after being named to the first team a year ago and second team back in 2024. 
• Howard golfers Marlon Jones and Michael Perusse both clinched spots on the second team after ranking in the NEC top-10 for stroke average on the year. Jones averaged 73.1 shots per round, while Perusse registered 73.3 per round.
• For the second straight year, Le Moyne featured a second team honoree as senior Anthony Maglisco (Syracuse, NY/Westhill) got the nod after the Dolphins placed fourth at the conference champion for the second straight year.

About The NEC
Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECSports.