The Saint Peter's College golf team will get their 2012 spring season under way on Thursday when they face off against Lafayette and Monmouth at Rockledge Country Club in Rockledge, Florida. “Both of these programs have recently won their respective conferences and earned a bid to the NCAA Championship. They will provide us with a good early season test as we begin our own quest for the MAAC Championship next month,” commented head coach Peter Falloon.
The Peacocks are coming off a successful fall season in which they recorded runner-up finishes in four different events. Saint Peter's was also able to compile a perfect 10-0 head-to-head record against MAAC opponents during the fall. “We had a good fall season but we still have work to do in order to accomplish our ultimate goal of winning the MAAC,” said Falloon. “We did not face four-time defending MAAC champion Loyola in the fall, but we'll be matched up against them in our first two tournaments this spring so it will give us an early indication of where we stand.”
Individually, the Peacocks will be led by senior TJ Sumigray, junior Andrew Gain, and freshmen Eric Edmunds, each of whom had scoring averages below 75 during the fall season. The trio combined for ten top-ten finishes and six top-five finishes in seven events during the fall season. “Each of these three players is capable of shooting an under-par score in any given round and I expect each of them to contend for All-MAAC honors this spring. They're as talented as anyone in our conference and if all three are on the top of their game we will be a very tough team to beat,” said Falloon.
Seniors Ray Ferrari, Greg Nordtveit, Billy Sues, and Nick Trill along with junior Luke Previte and freshmen Brian Grubbs and Brandon Molson will all be in competition to fill the remaining two spots on the traveling team. Nordtveit and Grubbs saw the majority of the playing time at the fourth and fifth sports in the fall, posting scoring averages of 77.3 and 78.1 respectively. “Each of these players has the potential to be in our top five and is capable of performing at a high level. It is important that we put up four solid scores each round, so the play of the fourth and fifth players will be extremely important for the success of this team. There will be strong competition among these seven players and it will ultimately be a tough decision determining which two will be selected to compete at the MAAC tournament.”
The Peacocks will travel to six different states this spring in preparation for the MAAC Championship. After the Peacocks return from their spring training trip in Port St. Lucie, Florida, they will get their tournament schedule underway in Williamsburg, VA at the C&F Intercollegiate hosted by William and Mary on March 25-27. Next they will travel to Grasonville, MD to compete in the Fireline Towson Invitational March 30-April 1. The Peacocks will then compete in two one-day 36 hole events, the Penn Quaker Invitational in Pine Hill, NJ on April 2 and the Yale Spring Opener on April 7. The Peacocks then travel to Easton, PA April 15-16 for the Lafayette College Invitational before they return to host the 10th Annual Peacock Invitational at Neshanic Valley Golf Course in Neshanic Station, NJ on April 23. The spring schedule will conclude in Lake Buena Vista, FL at the 2012 MAAC Championship, which will be contested on Disney's Magnolia Course for the second consecutive year.
