Golf Wins NESCAC Qualifier by 20 Shots

JOSEPH LADD ’19 STAFF WRITER
Trinity Men’s golf capped off their successful fall season with a dominating victory at the NESCAC Championship qualifier this past weekend. The Bantams hosted the qualifier, per a rotation within the conference, at Indian Hill Country Club in Newington, CT. Co-captain Kole Kelly (’18), who shot a two day total of 143 (75-68), led the Bantams to finish 1st out of the 10 team field. Kelly, a seasoned veteran on the squad, cruised to a 4-under 68 on Sunday, a tremendous score considering the severity of the greens. Will Rosenfield (’19) followed closely with a second place two-day total of 144 (77-67), with his second day improvement among the day’s lowest scores in the field. Senior co-captain Nate Choukas tied for a third place finish with 147 (74-73). Overall, the Bantams finished the two-day tournament with a 6-over 582, beating Williams College by a whopping 20 shots. Saturday’s first round was tested with harsh winds, blistering temperatures, and some occasional raindrops, but Mother Nature was kinder on Sunday, leaving only calm winds and a warm sun.
The fall qualifier determines which colleges will compete in the conference championship in the spring, cutting the field down to only four schools. Williams College, Tufts University, and Amherst College will compete for the conference championship against Trinity back at Indian Hill in the spring. This is the first time the Bantams have hosted the spring championship since 2013, marking a significant opportunity and an exciting time for the program. Trinity played tremendously during their fall campaign, winning three out of four tournaments, including a 3rd place finish in a 22-team field at the Duke Nelson Invitational at Middlebury College. Despite not winning at Middlebury, the Bantams still made history with a program best score of 577. It’s safe to say the Bantams are excited to work hard in the off-season to capture a conference championship on their home turf. Senior co-captain Nate Choukas provided a comment after the round on the direction of Trinity College golf: “It feels great to win the qualifier, and to be hosting the NESCAC championship in the spring. Winning this weekend was an important step in getting where we want to be. We’ve had consistent play all fall and are excited to get to work in the off season.” It’s safe to say that the Bantam Golf Team is incredibly proud of what they’ve done, but also extremely excited for what is to come.