2019 MAAC Golf Championships Set to Begin on Thursday

4/17/2019 9:45:00 PM

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - The MAAC Men's & Women's Golf Championships return to Disney's Magnolia Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, Florida for the fifth consecutive year and get underway on Thursday.

The three round (54 hole) championship begins with Round 1 on Thursday, April 18 at 7:30 a.m., with Round 2 taking place Friday, April 19. The men’s and women’s championship rounds will be broadcasted on ESPN3 on Saturday, April 20, beginning at 10 a.m.

For the men, Iona College sets its sights on its second straight championship, and sixth in program history. The Gaels are led by head coach Sean Burke, who was named the 2018 MAAC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year. Burke is in his fourth year at the helm and looks to bring Iona a sixth championship, which would be the most titles secured by a current MAAC team. Sophomore Justin Burkhamer looks to capitalize on his success from 2018, after being named last season’s MAAC Rookie of the Year and finishing second overall at the 2018 MAAC Championships.

On the women’s side, the University at Albany will look to defend its title after finishing on top last year with a team score of +57 (921). Head coach Colleen Cashman-McSween, winner of the 2018 MAAC Women’s Golf Coach of the Year award, aims to lead the Great Danes to their third program title since entering the league in 2009-2010. Albany has had multiple top-three individual finishers at the MAAC Championships over the past two seasons, including junior Helga Einarsdottir, who finished tied for third in 2017, and junior Megan Henry, who finished in the same position at the 2018 championship.

Men’s Round 1 pairings and tee times can be found here.

Women’s Round 1 pairings and tee times can be found here.

Around the MAAC:

Albany’s Madison Walker shot a 139 (-5) to finish second at the Dartmouth Invitational.
Canisius College’s David Hanes has two top-10 finishes this year (T4 at the Little Three Championship and T9 at the Towson Invitational). He has more top-10 finishes (8) than any other active golfer with the program.
Ellie Cronin from the University of Dayton earned a second-place finish at the EKU Colonel Classic after shooting a 216 (E) after three rounds, including a second round score of 69.
The Fairfield University men took home sixth place out of 15 teams at the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championship.
The Fairfield women earned its best finish of the season at the Sacred Heart Spring Invitational after placing third out of seven teams.
The University of Hartford finished the 2018-19 season with four top-10 finishes, including a team victory at home at the Hartford Fall Invitational.
Iona sophomore Kritsarin Oukosavanna finished second out of 116 golfers at the Abarta Coca-Cola Collegiate Invitational with a score of 142 (-2).
La Salle University junior Marybelle Daclan finished tied for third at the 2019 Hartford Quad with an 84 (+12).
Manhattan College finished sixth at the 2019 Alabama State Spring Kickoff, with junior captain Preston Shortell finishing tied for 16^th.
Niagara University’s Tyler Edholm placed second at the Little Three Championship, carding a 143 (-1) through two rounds of play.
Niagara’s Sarah Godfrey placed first in a dual match with Saint Francis (PA), firing a career-best 74 (+2).
Quinnipiac University finished second at the 2018 Brown Bear Invitational with a team score of 604 (+28), including a strong individual performance by junior Alexandra Sazhin, who finished tied for fourth with a score of 145 (+1) through two rounds of play.
Saint Peter’s University won the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championship, tied for first place in the Hawk invitational, and had a runner-up finish in the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate.
Siena College freshman Jared Nelson has tied for first (runner-up in playoff) twice on the season, doing so in his collegiate debut at the 2018 Cornell Invitational and at the UConn Invitational at Great Horse. Overall, Nelson has recorded three top-10 finishes.
Siena senior Sara Riso took home individual medalist honors at the Hartford Hawks Invitational and has notched three top-5 and five top-10 finishes on the year.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38^th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.