Saint Michael's among top 20 through day one of NEIGA meet

BREWSTER, Mass. - The Saint Michael's College men's golf team tied for 18th on Monday during the first day of the season-ending New England Intercollegiate Golf Association (NEIGA) Championship, as the Purple Knights look to crack the top 20 for the first time in more than a decade when the tournament wraps up on Tuesday at The Captains Golf Course. Thirty-four teams from Division I, II and III are competing in the event.

Saint Michael's stands eighth among Division II squads while placing ahead of a pair of Division I programs thanks to its 320 strokes, which ties Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. In a closely-bunched field, the Purple Knights are only six shots short of a pair of teams tied for ninth place. Division I institutions Bryant University and the College of the Holy Cross are tied for first with 301 strokes.

Senior Chris LaPolice (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic) and junior Nicholas Angelo (Sutton, Mass./Saint John's) are leading the Purple and Gold by tying for 41st with 78 shots, leaving them just four strokes shy of the top five in what has also been a competitive individual field. Senior John Goodwin (Wolfeboro, N.H./Kent School) and junior Dylan Lavallee (Colchester, Vt./Rice Memorial) each fired an 82 on day one, while sophomore Steve French (Goffstown, N.H./Goffstown Area) is the fifth Saint Michael's golfer in the field.