Sports
Golf ends season 4th in NESCAC
By Max Newman ’16
May 1, 2015
The Hamilton men’s golf season ended this past weekend after a fourth-place finish at the 2015 NESCAC Golf Championship. The tournament hosted the top four teams in the NESCAC, the winner, Middlebury College, receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship in Greensboro, N.C.
The Continentals hoped to channel their regular season momentum into the NESCAC tournament, but the team struggled throughout the weekend. A two-day team total of 633 and a four-man team score of 320 put them in last place out of four teams.
Riley Burgess ’18 tied for eighth place out of the 20 golfers with a 36-hole total score of 156. His score of 77 on day two was the best round of the weekend for the Continentals. Bayard Geeslin ’16, Joe Tigani ’18 and Mac Pivirotto ’15 each finished with scores of 160. Matt Yung ’16 followed right behind with a 161.
“Obviously we were a little disappointed with the results of the NESCAC Championship, but the spring season was some of the best golf Mac and I have had in our four years,” said senior and co-captain Gipper Gailor. “We had a lot of really competitive players who pushed everyone to get better, which really showed in our performance this season.”
Looking forward, the Continentals lose their co-captains Pivirotto and Gailor. However, Pivirotto believes the team has great potential for years to come. “With the return of Bayard Geeslin ’16 and Matt Yung ’16, and new comers Riley Burgess ’18 and Joe Tigani ’18, the team was in the running to win every tournament this spring,” Pivirotto said. “Even though we didn’t take home the NESCAC championship this year, I have no doubt that our team will be back next year, better than ever.”
By getting experience playing in the highly competitive NESCAC Championship this year, the team will be prepared for the challenge next season. In fact, such a high-stakes tournament seems to have brought the team closer together. “The comradery on our team is unbelievable,” Tigani said. “It’s been so easy to get along with everyone on the team even during the most competitive moments this spring. We support each other and feed off of each other’s enthusiasm for the sport. I am truly grateful to have a group of teammates that I can also call my best friends.”
Even though golf is largely an individual sport, team members can feed off each other’s energy and support. The summer is the best time for golfers to train, and the team will surely take advantage of the warm weather after a spring season full of wind and snow.
The Continentals will continue to train in preparation for the fall. “We lose Co-Captains Gipper Gailor and Mac Pivirotto but we are very encouraged by many excellent performances by the other members of the team this spring,” Head Coach Steve Stetson reiterated.
With most of the roster returning, the Continentals will be a force to be reckoned with come the fall. “Although it wasn’t the storybook ending that we were looking for with a NESCAC Championship, we did assert ourselves as serious contenders in the conference,” Interim Head Coach Lauren Cupp stated. “We had some moments of brilliance this season which we are parlaying into long term success.”