Springfield Wins Inaugural NECC Men's Golf Championship

SPRINGFIELD WINS INAUGURAL NECC MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Springfield's Levings named NECC Player of the Year;
MIT's Nick Swenson earns Rookie of the Year

Click here for final individual results

Click here for final team results

Click here for final tournament statistics 

CHICOPEE, MA, Oct. 11, 2008 - Springfield College seniors Greg Levings (Averill Park, NY) and Michael LaJoie (Enfield, CT) earned medalist and runner-up honors, respectively, to help the Pride win the inaugural New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Men's Golf Championship at Chicopee Country Club on Sunday afternoon.

The Pride, who led after the first round with a 324, placed three golfers among the top five and posted a two-day total of 646 to easily outdistance Mitchell (676), Becker (683), MIT (694), Daniel Webster (704), Elms College (720) and Newbury (778) in the seven-team field.

Levings, who shot 5-over par 76 to earn a share of the first round lead with LaJoie, was sensational in the second round, as he finished with a 2-over 73 en route to NECC Player of the Year honors and a two-day score of 7-over par 149.

LaJoie finished with a second round 78 for a two-day total of 154 to earn runner-up honors, while sophomore Craig DiFranco (East Longmeadow, MA) placed fifth with a 161 (81-80) to bolster the Pride.

For the championship, Levings led the 34-player field in birdies (5), and par-4 scoring (+4), while Levings and LaJoie were co-leaders in both pars (20) and par-5 scoring (-1). The two were the only players to break 80 in both rounds of the championship.

MIT freshman Nick Swenson (Yorktown, VA), who was tied for seventh after an opening round 82, posted the second lowest round of the tournament with a second-day 76 and was named NECC Rookie of the Year.

Swenson, who finished with three birdies and 16 pars, posted a two-round total of 158 to tie with Mitchell freshman Mike Lepore (Centerville, MA).

2008 FIRST TEAM ALL-NECC
Greg Levings, Springfield (76-73-149)
Mike LaJoie, Springfield (76-78-154)
Nick Swenson, MIT (82-76-158)
Mike LePore, Mitchell (77-81-158)
Craig DeFranco, Springfield (81-80-161)

2008 SECOND TEAM ALL-NECC
Matt Burke, Mitchell (83-81-164)
Ben Malone, Becker (86-79-165)
Ben Kwiatkowski, Elms (82-83-165)
Andrew Sullivan, Elms (78-88-166)
Ted Keith, MIT (80-87-167)

2008 NECC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Greg Levings, Springfield

2008 NECC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Nick Swenson, MIT

2008 NECC COACH OF THE YEAR
Joe Eadie, Springfield

2008 NECC TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Newbury