Mariners Fifth at NAC Championships

WATERBURY, Vt. – Husson University held off a furious Sunday charge by Salem State University to win its sixth consecutive North Atlantic Conference Men's Golf Championship.  The Eagles, who led Salem State and the seven-team field by six shots after Saturday's round, won by one stroke at the Country Club of Vermont.

Husson finished with a team score of 600 compared to the Vikings 601. 

Husson's Matt Loubier earned North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year honors firing a 74 on Sunday after shooting 71 on Saturday for a total score of 145.  That number was one stroke better than teammate Chris Hamel who shot 71-75-146. Hamel tied Salem's Nick Zolotas, who shot the low round on Sunday with a 71.

Led by Zolotas' 71, the Vikings shot a team-low score of 300 on Sunday but it was not enough to overcome the strong play of Loubier, Hamel and the rest of the Eagles. The Vikings were making their first appearance in the North Atlantic Conference Men's Golf Championship in 2011.

Salem teammates Tom Grant and Matt Sebert had identical weekend scores of 74-77-151 to tie for fourth place, while Castleton's Bryan Fitzgerald came in sixth place with a score of 75-77-152. Fitzgerald was the lowest-scoring newcomer to the North Atlantic Conference earning him the NAC Rookie of the Year Award.

Castleton State College finished in third place with a score of 634, followed by the University of Maine-Farmington in fourth place with a tally of 663. Maine Maritime Academy was the fifth place team with a score of 689, while host Johnson State College came in sixth with a 786. Green Mountain College was seventh with a count of 851.

Only Marc L. Cote improved his score on the final 18 holes. After shooting 92 on Saturday, Cote shaved eight strokes on Sunday to finish in 2^2nd place in the field of 34. Luke Nielson was the Mariners top-finisher in 15^th place. He carded an 87 on Sunday, after shooting 76 on Saturday.

Dan Mackenzie finished in 19^th place with a 36-hole total of 167. He turned in an 86 on Sunday. Keenan Eaton was 23^rd with a 183, while Cale Knox placed 24^th at 185.

North Atlantic Conference Championships
Country Club of Vermont
Waterbury, Vt.
Dates: 10/8-9/2011
Par 72, 6788 yards

Fin.  Top 20 teams                     Scores    Total    Par 
   1  Husson.........................  295  305    600    +24
   2  Salem State....................  301  300    601    +25
   3  Castleton State................  315  319    634    +58
   4  Me.-Farmington.................  329  334    663    +87
   5  Maine Maritime Academy.........  339  350    689   +113
   6  Johnson State..................  399  387    786   +210
   7  Green Mountain.................  420  431    851   +275


Fin.  Top 20 Players        Team                              Scores   Total    Par 
   1  Matt Loubier......... Husson.........................   71   74    145     +1
t  2  Chris Hamel.......... Husson.........................   71   75    146     +2
t  2  Nick Zolotas......... Salem State....................   75   71    146     +2
t  4  Tom Grant............ Salem State....................   74   77    151     +7
t  4  Matt Sebert.......... Salem State....................   74   77    151     +7
   6  Bryan Fitzgerald..... Castleton State................   75   77    152     +8
t  7  Chris Berry.......... Salem State....................   78   75    153     +9
t  7  Orion Cochrane....... Me.-Farmington.................   76   77    153     +9
   9  Tim Carlson.......... Husson.........................   75   79    154    +10
  10  Cam Wood............. Castleton State................   79   78    157    +13
  11  David Dubois II...... Husson.........................   82   77    159    +15
  12  Joe Messerman........ Me.-Farmington.................   81   80    161    +17
t 13  Mike Hersey.......... Husson.........................   78   84    162    +18
t 13  Dan Hogan............ Castleton State................   78   84    162    +18
t 15  Will Banfield........ Castleton State................   83   80    163    +19
t 15  Bill Connell......... Salem State....................   79   84    163    +19
t 15  Tim Daniels.......... Green Mountain.................   82   81    163    +19
t 15  
Luke Nielson......... Maine Maritime Academy.........   76   87    163    +19
  19  Dan Mackenzie........ Maine Maritime Academy.........   81   86    167    +23
t 20  Dom Maniery.......... Castleton State................   86   85    171    +27
t 20  Jacob Roddy.......... Me.-Farmington.................   82   89    171    +27