Men's Golf Places Third At MASCAC Championships

Sutton, MA --- Westfield State junior classmates Joey Cooper (Kensington, CT), Tyler LaBonte (Brewster, MA) and Rory Wilkowich (Okotoks, Alberta) along with freshman Tyler Olson (Hopkinton, MA) all registered scores inside the top 10 as they all helped the Owls earn their first-ever MASCAC Men's Golf Tournament Championship this afternoon at the par 72 Blackstone National Golf Course hosted by Worcester State.

With a final score of 335 strokes, Westfield State held off Salem State (336) and Worcester State (337) for the crown while MCLA placed fourth with a score of 359.  

The Owls ended a run of three consecutive championships that had been won by the Vikings since the tournament restarted during the 2009-10 season. Salem State had won 13 titles overall coming into the tournament.

Junior Tom Grant (Mansfield, MA) of Salem State earned medalist honors with a low-round score of 77 (+5). Third-year Taylor Alvarado (Danvers, MA) and freshman Stephen Parise (Billerica, MA) also handed cards that were inside the top 10 in eighth (86, +14).

For the Owls, Cooper tied for fourth (81, +9), Olson placed sixth (83, +11), LaBonte was right behind in seventh (85, +13) while Wilkowich equaled eighth place (86, +14).

The Lancers were paced by sophomore David Rixham (Northbridge, MA) who was third overall with a score of 80 (+8) and freshman Jackson Davis (Spencer, MA) tied for fourth (81, +9).

Freshman Brendan Dugan (Sutton, MA) equaled 11th with an 87 (+15) and classmate Zach Poirier (Sturbridge, MA) was 14th with a score of 89 (+17).

MCLA was propelled by senior Sean Cota (Adams, MA) who was the lone Trailblazer inside the top 10 with a final score of 79 (+7), just two strokes off the lead.