ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. – Though its final standing remained the same, the Ursinus College men's golf team put its season-long improvement on full display with a third straight strong round to close the Centennial Conference Championship on Sunday.
Behind a career day from sophomore Noah Steiner, the Bears carded a team score of 324 at The Bridges to polish off a three-round 973 – their best score at the conference tournament since 2005. Ursinus landed in seventh place for the eighth consecutive year, but its improvement was remarkable; the team had not scored below 995 in nine years.
The Bears' three rounds at the championship (327-322-324) were all among their top eight scores of the season.
Franklin & Marshall edged out Swarthmore by four strokes with an 893 to claim its fourth consecutive conference crown. The Garnet (897) and Muhlenberg (903) all posted final scores that ranked within the top five in CC history.
Stephen Colodny shot a 54-hole 219 (+3) to edge teammate Brad Lankler and Swarthmore's Vamsi Damerla for the individual title.
Steiner capped his breakout season in style with a 3-over 75, three strokes lower than his previous collegiate best and tied for the third-best score by a Bear this year. Steiner, who carded a 78 at the squad's home invitational three weeks ago, birdied two par-5 holes – the 8th and 15th – and posted only five bogies to finish 28th overall with a 241.
Freshman Ryan Hodgdon was the Bears' top individual finisher with a combined tally of 239 (82-73-84). After struggling to a 45 on the front nine, Hodgdon recorded six pars and a 39 on the back nine, ultimately placing in a tie for 25th.
Junior Ryan Crawford continued his consistent play with an 81 to close the championship at 245 (82-82-81); his round included pars on 11 holes.
Freshman Brian Barrett capped his championship debut with an 84 that gave him a three-round 249 (82-83-84), while senior Anthony Barbine closed his career on an 87; he tallied 262 for the tournament.