Freshmen lead golf team to 22nd place at NCAAs

Final Results

With its two stellar freshmen leading the way, Binghamton golf capped its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I tournament with a 305 on Saturday, finishing in a tie for 22nd place among 27 teams at the East Regional, played at the 7,207-yard Auburn University Club in Alabama. The Bearcats shot 307-305-305=917 to finish tied with James Madison and ahead of Liberty (930), Charleston Southern (933), Yale (941) and Jackson State (987).

Freshman Kevin Crawford (Lockport, N.Y.) fired an even-par 72 in Saturday's final round. He collected four birdies and 10 pars, and took it to two-under before bogeying the final two holes. Crawford wound up shooting 77-75-72=224 to tie for 64th in the field of 141 golfers. Crawford's +8 total for the 54-hole tournament is a BU record, eclipsing the +12 mark set by Robb Gibb at the 1999 NCAA Division II Northern Regional.

Classmate Brad Moulton (Orangeville, Ontario) shot 75-78-78=231 to finish second on the team behind Crawford. He finished Saturday's final round with a birdie-par-par sequence to shoot 38 on the back and preserve a 78.

Senior Adam Fuchs (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview JFK) shot 78-77-78=233, junior Keith Hendrickson (Syosset, N.Y.) shot 77-75-82=234, and junior Joe Kunz (Webster, N.Y./Monroe CC) came in at 82-84-77=243.

The tournament marked the end of the coaching reign for John Affleck, who guided the varsity golf team for 15 years and capped a noteworthy career by advancing his second-year Division I team to the national tournament. Affleck's 2002-03 team won seven tournaments, including the ECAC Championship and America East Championship, and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA regional. He was named America East Coach of the Year - meaning Affleck will retire with coaching honors at all three NCAA levels.