BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Nicholas Dilio (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) finished tied for the tournament low score and lost in a one-hole playoff to finish second, but Saint Peter's earned its second-straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Atlantic Conference (MAAC) Men's Golf Championship on Sunday. The Peacocks placed three players in the Top-7 and four in the Top-11 in the tournament.
Dilio held the lead for most of the final round and maintained a two-shot margin going into the final three holes. The junior birdied 16, but then bogeyed 17 and double bogeyed 18 to finish with in a three-round tie with Iona's Kevin Kramarski with an even-par score of 216. The duo then played a one-hole playoff for medalist honors and Kramarski won the hole to earn the honors. Both competitors will advance to the NCAA Championships, but Dilio will have four teammates with him on the trip.
Dilo's second-place finish tied Sean Fitzpatrick for the best finish in team history after Fitzpatrick's second-place standing at the 2010 MAAC Championships while the three-round total of 216 tied TJ Sumigray (2012) for the lowest three-round total in team history. The junior posted two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on the afternoon. Dilio, who finished eighth last season at the MAAC Championships, posted two-over par rounds of 74 in the first and third rounds and tied the program-record with a four-under par of 68 in the second round.
Coming into the final round with a 17-stroke lead on Iona, Saint Peter's shot its highest score in the event with a 304, but the Gaels could not overcome the deficit to give the Peacocks a nine-stroke victory and earn its second-straight title. For the second-straight year, the men's golf team currently holds Saint Peter's only league title this season while at least one Peacock team has won a MAAC title in each of the last five years.
Saint Peter's, who participated in the NCAA Sugar Grove Regional in 2014, will advance to the NCAA Regionals for the second-straight season. The Peacocks will find out its destination during the Morning Drive on the Golf Channel on May 4 at 10 a.m.
Saint Peter's finished with a total of 885, the best three-round team total at the championships in team history. All three rounds were a Top-10 score for the team at the MAAC Championships, posting the best round (288, first round) while also carding the third-best (293, second round) and sixth-best (304, third round) rounds in team history.
Head coach Pete Falloon was named MAAC Coach of the Year for the third time in the last four years. The 1965 graduate of Saint Peter's, earned the top coach honor in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and has guided the squad to its only two championships in team history.
Brian Grubbs (Cortez, Colo./Montezuma Cortez), who entered the final round with a one-stroke lead on Dilio, finished third with a three-round score of 219, the fourth-best three-round score in team history at the championships. The senior posted four bogeys and a double-bogey to finish with a 78 on the day after posting a program-best 68 in the first round and a 73 in the second round to finish in third place after registering a fifth-place standing last season.
Eric Edmunds (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) finished seventh after carding a 224 in the three rounds. The senior recorded a 74 in the final round to go along with his 73 in the first round and 77 in the second round. Edmunds posted bogeys on one, two, 15 and a birdie on nine. Edmunds finishes his career in the MAAC Championships by posting Top-15 finishes all four years after finish 15th as a freshman, 11th as a sophomore, eighth as a junior and seventh as a senior.
Dilio, Grubbs and Edmunds all earned All-MAAC recognition after finishing in the Top-10 for the second-straight year.
Brandon Molson (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) just missed out on all-conference honors by one stroke after carding a 227 in the three days, the eighth-best three-round score in team history. The senior posted a 74, 75 and 78 in the three rounds while registering two birdies, four bogeys and two double bogeys in the final round to place 11th in the event.
Dominic Diaz (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) finished 30th after notching a three-round score of 235. The sophomore posted a 73, 81 and 81 in the three rounds. Diaz had two birdies, five bogeys and three double bogeys on Sunday.
Saint Peter's won the event with a score of 885, nine strokes ahead of Iona (894) while Fairfield (904), Monmouth (904), Rider (918), Siena (918), Manhattan (927), Canisius (951) and Niagara (951) rounded out the competition.
