Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Golf Set for Patriot League Championship this Weekend
4/21/2006 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 21, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - After a narrow runner-up finish in 2005, the Bucknell men's golf team goes in search of its first Patriot League title this weekend at the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Course. The Patriot League Championship begins with 36 holes on Saturday, followed by 18 more on Sunday.
Five of the six players who helped break the school 54-hole scoring record (867) at last year's championship at Bucknell Golf Club will return this weekend. Most notable are junior Charlie Waddell, who became the first Bucknell player to win the Patriot League individual title, and senior Ben Pellicani, who broke the school record with a second-round 65 and finished second to Waddell.
Pellicani has had the most consistent spring, with a team-best 73.9 scoring average and two top-five finishes. He shot 72-70 a week ago on the very same course and finished fifth at the Navy Invitational. Pellicani, a native of nearby Severna Park, Md., is very familiar with the USNA course, having spent several summers working there.
Waddell, who tied the league record with a 209 (67-71-71) in last year's winning performance, will try to become the league's first-ever repeat champion. Despite a second-round 81 - the first time he failed to break 80 in 19 rounds - at Navy last week, Waddell ranks among the team leaders with a 76.7 spring average.
Also returning for the Bison are sophomore Keita Aoki and junior Kyle Moran, who both tied for 16th at last year's Patriot League Championship, and junior Patrick Yingling, who tied for 30th. Aoki and Moran have identical 76.3 spring averages, while Yingling averaged 79.0.
The lone newcomer to Bucknell's championship lineup is sophomore Rahul Desai, who has played his way in with a recent hot stretch. Desai, who is in his first year with the Bison program, shot 75 to finish T-15th at the IUP Invitational on Apr. 12, and he shot 79-73-76 to finish T-6th at the Cape May Invitational this past Monday and Tuesday. Desai's spring average of 75.8 is second on the team to Pellicani.
Defending champion Army and host Navy are also expected to contend for the team title. The Black Knights, who won their ninth Patriot League crown last season by a narrow seven shots over Bucknell, return three starters from last season, all of whom finished in the top 10. Austin Luher (7th), Pat Beverly (8th) and Joey Cave (T-10th) form an experienced trio.
The Midshipmen have the home-course advantage this year. Last weekend they shot 289-293 and won their own tournament. Erich Schoen rode a first-round 5-under-par 66 to the individual title.
Other returning All-Patriot League players from last season are Matt Czarnecki of Holy Cross, who finished ninth, and Ross Feldman of Lehigh, who tied for 10th.
Bucknell is 10-2 against Patriot League competition this spring - 4-0 against Lehigh, 3-0 against Colgate, 3-0 against Colgate and 0-2 against Navy.
Play is slated to begin Saturday morning, weather permitting. There is rain in the forecast for the Annapolis area.
