AMHERST, N.Y. — Daemen College head men's golf coach Kyle Harman has announced the spring portion of the team's 2017-18 season. A very condensed slate, the Wildcats will compete in three events over a 12-day stretch in April. Two of the three tournaments are being hosted by schools that took part in the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional last year.
The Wildcats open the slate April 12 at the Mike Bello Invitational at Bellevue Country Club in Syracuse, N.Y. Several of the top programs in the region are expected to take part in the two-day tournament, which is being hosted by Northeast-10 Conference powerhouse Le Moyne College. The Dolphins have made four-straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional and have advanced to the 20-team NCAA Division II National Championship the last three seasons. Daemen will be making its second-straight appearance at the Mike Bello Invitational.
A week later the Wildcats head west on I-90 to take part in tournaments hosted by Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference members Gannon University and Mercyhurst University. Up first is the one-day Gannon Spring Invitational on April 21 at Whispering Woods Golf Club in Erie, Pa. Daemen will then head over to Lake View Country Club in nearby North East, Pa. for the two-day Mercyhurst Invitational, April 22-23. Mercyhurst placed fourth at the PSAC Championship this past fall, while Gannon placed fifth. Daemen will be taking part in the Gannon Spring Invitational and the Mercyhurst Invitational for the second-straight year.
Both golf courses will be familiar to the Wildcats, as they have taken part in numerous tournaments at Whispering Woods GC and Lake View CC over the past four seasons. Seniors Pauley Pitcher II (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) and Max Winterburn (Harrogate, England) have both posted their career-low round of 76 at Lake View CC.
In addition to Pitcher and Winterburn, senior Mitch Feneziani (West Seneca, N.Y.) returns after posting a team-best 75.9 stroke average during the fall season. Juniors Ryan Gibbons (Amherst, N.Y.) and Tyler Hockenberger (Greece, N.Y.) and freshman Alex Brown (Lancaster, N.Y.) also return to the fold.
Harman is in his first season as head coach of the Wildcat golf program. A 2013 graduate of Daemen, Harman returns to his alma mater and the program for which he played as a collegiate student-athlete from 2011-13, helping the team capture the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championship as a senior.
For the latest on Daemen College athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
