Top Moments: Men's Golf Trio Shines at MAAC Championships

Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Saint Peter’s University Athletics returned to the playing surface this past academic year and put together a series of incredible moments that instilled great pride.

To honor the incredible student-athletes and all they accomplished in 2020-21, in the month of July, the athletics department will look back at some of the most memorable moments every Tuesday and Friday.

Setting The Stage

After nearly 18 months away from the course, the Saint Peter's University men's golf team finally returned to action this past spring. The Peacocks, who were last seen stringing together a remarkable run of results in terms of both team and individual success back in the fall of 2019 and were expected to contend for the title at the 2020 MAAC Championships before the unfortunate cancelation of the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lined up a spring schedule that featured three tournaments leading up to the 2021 MAAC Championships.

Recapping The Spring

• The program returned to action for the first time in nearly 18 months with a 10th-place finish at the Battle at Rum Pointe, as junior Melvin Morales carded four birdies over the course of that tournament to lead the way with a 30th-place finish.
• About a week later, Saint Peter's made the trek to Pennsylvania for a 12th-place finish at the Rolling Green Intercollegiate hosted by Navy. There, it was senior Jeffrey Peters who carded a two-over 72 and was within four strokes of the individual champion, tying for 12th place in the individual standings to highlight that second weekend of action.
• Finally, the Peacocks played their way to another top-10 team finish at the Sacred Heart Spring Invitational on April 11-12; Peters led the way again after a five-shot improvement in the second round for an even-par 72 and finished five-over 149 for the tournament, good for a tie for 17th place.

Meet The Peacocks

• Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, Saint Peter's was only able to send three individuals to the 2021 MAAC Championship and was ineligible for the team championship. However, redshirt sophomore Jimmy Apostolico, junior Melvin Morales and redshirt sophomore Caleb Rossi were all eligible for the individual medalist honor and all-conference accolades.
• Morales enjoyed a tremendous spring entering the tournament, averaging five-over par through five rounds and three tournaments. His scoring average of 77.00 was just two tenths of a stroke behind Peters for lowest on the team. Four of his five rounds played were in the 70s.
• Rossi averaged a 10-over par for the spring and an 81.60 on the scoresheet. He shot two 78s to highlight his pre-tournament scorecard.
• Apostolico entered the championship red-hot after a stellar showing at Sacred Heart; he carded back-to-back rounds in the upper-70s and placed in the top-45 of that tournament.

Saint Peter's in the MAAC Championship

• Saint Peter's has been arguably the most decorated team in the MAAC since 2010, with all three of its all-time conference tournament titles coming in the last seven years.
• The Peacocks edged Monmouth for their first MAAC championship in 2014, edging the Hawks by three strokes (931-934) to claim the school's first title.
• Saint Peter's would repeat as league champions a year later in 2015 with a nine-stroke margin of victory over Iona; former Peacock Nicholas Dilio was the individual runner-up that spring before winning the medalist honor a year later.
• The Peacocks would claim their third title in a four-year run in 2017 thanks to a dominant showing by alumnus Mike Winter, who claimed the medalist accolade with a 76-73-71—220 scorecard to help Saint Peter's hold off Siena for a three-stroke team margin of victory.
• In the most recently contested championship, Peters would become the program's third MAAC Championship medalist after shooting 1-under for the tournament (69-74-72—215), while the team narrowly missed out on its fourth title, settling for second place just seven strokes back of Iona.

Apostolico Roars out of the Gate

• Apostolico shot a three-over 75 thanks to a trio of birdies in his first nine holes of the morning to lead Saint Peter's at the opening round of the MAAC Championships, a precursor of a phenomenal week to come.
• Apostolico started his morning with a birdie on the par-3 12th and then added another on the par-3 15th before birdying once more on the par-4 18th, as the redshirt sophomore headed into the turn at two-over 38.
• He then added one more birdie on his scorecard on the par-5 fourth and then played bogey-free over the final four holes of the day to punch a three-over 75 after 18 holes of action. He stood in the top-25 on the individual ledger thanks to his 1-over 37 on the back nine.
• Morales was within three strokes of the individual leader and was even-par for the afternoon with three holes to play before settling for a 5-over 77 on the afternoon. He had a pair of birdies on the front nine – including one on his first hole of the tournament and then again just before the turn on the par-4 ninth – and added another birdie on the third to settle in for a tie for 31st place after Day 1.
• Rossi was tied with Morales at the turn thanks to a duo of birdies on the front nine. He would conclude Day 1 at 10-over 82 and in 40th place.

Morales, Apostolico Shoot 74s in Second Round

• Apostolico and Morales both carded identical two-over 74s on Saturday to highlight the second day of competition at the 2021 MAAC Championships.
• One day after carding a team-leading three-over 75, Apostolico did one stroke better on Saturday to move up two spots into a tie for 21st on the individual ledger. Morales, meanwhile, matched his teammate on the scorecard with an identical second-round score, one that was three strokes lower than his opening-round five-over; he moved up four spots into a four-way tie for 27th.
• Apostolico was looking to prove he belonged among the conference's elite golfers and did so again after back-to-back birdies on the front nine saw him enter the turn at 1-under for the round. The redshirt sophomore would battle down the back nine and finish 2-over 74 for the afternoon, moving his two-day total to 5-over 149 and into a tie for 21st place.
• Morales, meanwhile, was right there within three strokes of the individual leader before a tough finish that saw him settle for a 5-over 77. But a spectacular finish down the back nine that featured four total birdies – including three in the span of four holes – saw Morales turn a 4-over at the turn into a 2-under by the time the round was done, as the junior posted a three-stroke improvement from Friday to improve to 7-over 151 after 36 holes, moving up four spots into a tie for 27th in the process.
• Rossi also improved on Saturday, trimming two strokes off his Friday round to finish 8-over 80. His second round featured one birdie, as he saw his two-day total move to 18-over 162.

Rain Delay? No Worries!

• The Peacock trio returned to the course looking to finish the weekend strong, but they would be greeted – along with the rest of the tournament field – by inclement weather that made its way into the area on Sunday.
• Rain and thunderstorms prompted the tournament's final round to be halved from its originally scheduled 18-hole circuit, meaning each student-athlete would only have nine holes to make their moves up the leader board. 

Leaderboard Roundup

• When it was all said and done, Apostolico was within a stroke of earning all-conference accolades as he and the rest of the Peacocks concluded the 2021 MAAC Championships with a fine showing at a rain-abbreviated third round.
• Apostolico, who entered the week with the highest to-par average score among the Peacocks (82.2), would wrap up his incredible tournament showing with a 1-under nine holes; if he had the opportunity to play another nine holes, based on his performance up until that point, it would have been safe to bet that he had a very real shot at earning a top-10 finish and all-conference honors.
• The redshirt sophomore would birdie twice in his first five holes to set the tone for the morning and afternoon, as Apostolico would conclude his week at Disney with a 4-over 184, which was good for a five-way tie for 12th place and, more impressively, one stroke back of earning All-MAAC honors.
• The Sparta, New Jersey, native posted a par on his first two holes before birdying on the par-3 12th and then again on the par-5 14th; he nearly went bogey-free on the entire back nine before one blemish just before the turn, but even with that Apostolico would sign his final scorecard at 1-under on Sunday and 4-over for the tournament.
• Morales was perhaps denied the best chance of a comeback due to the abbreviated finish; after finishing with a 2-over 74 on Saturday, he would improve by two more strokes on Sunday to card an even-par 72. The junior would use a stellar finish – specifically two birdies over the final three holes – to slide into a tie for 23rd place on the individual leader board. He posted a 7-over 187 at the end of 45 holes, improving by four spots from when the day began.
• Finally, Rossi ended his tournament showing at 5-over 41 for the round, placing inside the top-40 in the final ledger thanks to a 45-hole score of 23-over 203.

Stay tuned for future Top Moments of 2020-21 in the weeks ahead!

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