HENNIKER, N.H. - The New England College men's golf team begins its quest for fourth consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championships on Monday, October 5, at the Country Club of Barre in Barre, Vermont. Norwich University will host this year's championship.
The three-time defending GNAC champions enter this year's tournament atop the GNAC Pre-Championship Poll, receiving 79 voting points to Norwich's 71. The Pilgrims earned seven first-place votes, while the Cadets received two. Emmanuel College finished third in the poll, followed by last season's runner-up Albertus Magnus College in fourth.
The Pilgrims have competed at the Country Club of Barre twice this season, giving them familiarity with the championship course. NEC competed at the Tony Mariano Invitational on September 9th, where the Pilgrims finished seven strokes ahead of host Norwich. The team later returned to the course for a match-play contest against the Cadets, falling 6.0-5.0.
NEC has also seen several of its GNAC championship opponents throughout the fall season. The Pilgrims defeated Albertus Magnus by 33 strokes at the NEC Invitational, while also competing against Norwich, Emmanuel, and Albertus Magnus at the Tony Mariano Invitational. NEC carded a team score of 300, followed by Norwich at 307, Emmanuel at 314, and Albertus Magnus at 324.
At the Eastern Connecticut Warrior Collegiate, NEC again faced Albertus Magnus and finished 16 strokes ahead of the Falcons.
The Pilgrims also competed in the Castleton Invitational, the only two-day tournament of the fall season. Norwich held a one-stroke advantage over NEC heading into the second day, but the Pilgrims battled back to win the tournament by five strokes.
Sophomore Emil Elias (Ekerö, Sweden) has been one of the Pilgrims' top performers throughout the season. Elias opened the year with back-to-back first-place finishes, shooting a 72 at the NEC Invitational and a 71 at the Tony Mariano Invitational. He was named GNAC Golfer of the Week in each of the first two weeks of competition on September 8th and September 14th.
Transfer senior Cameron Sheedy (Nashua, N.H.) enters the championship averaging a 75.6 this season. Sheedy most recently finished second at the Keene State Invitational and was named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll on September 21 after shooting rounds of 78 and 79 at the Castleton Invitational.
Junior Vesse-Wincent Lampen (Espoo, Finland) brings postseason experience into this year's championship after finishing inside the top 15 at each of the last two GNAC Championships. Lampen has also earned GNAC Weekly Honor Roll recognition this season.
Transfer sophomore Aiden Boule (Concord, N.H.) also enters the championship with postseason experience after placing third at the USCAA National Championship during his freshman season at NHTI. As a Pilgrim, Boule tied for first alongside Elias at the NEC Invitational earlier this season and enters the championship averaging a 76.6.
Freshman Edouard Belval-Turmel (Quebec, Canada) earned GNAC Weekly Honor Roll recognition during the first week of the season after carding a 75 at the Country Club of New Hampshire.
The GNAC Championships will start at 11:00 AM on Monday at the Country Club of Barre, with the Pilgrims looking to make history by capturing their fourth consecutive conference championship.
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