APALACHIN, N.Y. – For the second year in a row, the Binghamton golf team took second place at its home event with a strong performance in the final round of the Matthews Auto Collegiate Golf Invitational Monday at The Links at Hiawatha Landing.
Helping the Bearcats take home the runner-up trophy were
Harrison Blech and
Sean Shen, who both finished in the top 10. Blech shot 72/even-par on the final day to finish tied for seventh at 70-72 = 142/2-under par. That is the lowest score of his career through 36 holes.
"He [Harrison] played solid all week," said Binghamton Head Coach
Bernie Herceg. "Top seven, had two great rounds, and held it together. He was there for the team this week, and that's what it's all about, and he knows that."
Shen, meanwhile, tied for 10th after shooting 72/even-par for the second day in a row to finish the competition at 144/even-par. This is the second time in three seasons that Shen has placed in the top 10 in this event. The junior previously tied for eighth at this competition in 2022 for what was his first career top 10 finish.
"Sean, great performance," said Herceg. "Again, just consistent, solid for us. So, it was great that those guys had the tournament they did. That's what helped us solidify this second-place finish, and it was great to see."
As a team, Binghamton shot 291/3-over par for the final round to finish the two-day event at 285-291 = 576/even-par.
Ryan Millevoi recorded a 73/1-over par Monday to finish tied for 17th at 72-73 = 145/1-over par. The performance gave the senior his fourth top 20 finish of his Binghamton career, and first of the season.
Brandon Conner tied for 28th at 71-76 = 147/3-over par, while
Tynan Jones tied for 36th at 75-74 = 149/5-over par.
"It was a good weekend for us," said Herceg. "The guys played solid to come back from how we played in our last tournament and follow up here with a second place finish."
Sacred Heart won the team competition at 286-277 = 563/13-under par, while La Salle's Benjamin Battye won medalist honors at 67-69 = 136/8-under par.
Binghamton wraps up its fall season at the Lehigh Invitational, which will take place from Oct. 19-20 at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa.
