Earlier this week, the men’s golf team ventured to Philadelphia to participate in the Dragon Match Play Invitational, where its ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams placed seventh and eighth out of eight teams, respectively, in stroke play on Monday. On Tuesday, the ‘A’ team finished fourth out of eight teams in match play, while the ‘B’ team fell in the first match-play competition.
Some notable performances in stroke play — which was out of 45 golfers — came from sophomore Harry Dessel, junior Quint Dingledine, and senior captain Carter Ablon. Dessel finished tied for ninth place with a cumulative score of 145 on the par-71, 6,744-yard course. Dingledine and Ablon tied for 15th with a score of 146. Dingledine racked up a 76 in the first round followed by a 70 in round two, while Ablon recorded scores of 75 and 71.
“Everyone has their individual swing and game changes that they need to work through, but overall we need to not get hung up on the past and keep our minds clear going into each new event,” Albon said. “It is easy to let your mind and mentality spiral in golf, and we need to stay as mentally tough as we can and push forward with the belief that we can get back on top.”
Freshmen Winston Kelenc-Blank and Hudson Pace tied for 30th place and 35th overall respectively, with scores of 151 and 154.
Junior Michael Bell logged scores of 75 and 80 for the two rounds, shooting 155 overall, while sophomore Boyoung Chang tied for 41st, concluding with an overall score of 157.
Sophomore Valdemar Kofod-Olsen finished the match tied in 43rd place with a total score of 165, with round scores of 83 and 82. Freshman Eli Myers mustered a 45th-place performance with an overall score of 166.
Despite low individual placements in this tournament, the team has high hopes for its future.
“We all played much better in day two match play,” Bell said. “We definitely became more competitive, and even though the ‘A’ team couldn’t beat [Robert Morris University] in round two, we all scored much better playing one-on-one against people, which is a good sign.”
Junior Sean Saw mirrored Bell’s remarks with a similar sense of optimism.
“We saw some good scores out of almost everyone and the practice we’ve put in over the last couple weeks has been paying off,” Saw said. “Winning in match play against Towson [University] was a huge confidence boost for the team as well as a great opportunity for us to experience head-to-head pressure. I think this tournament showed that we’re not far off from some good finishes.”
The stroke play results set up the Leopards’ two teams for match play. While the ‘B’ team faltered in the first round, the ‘A’ team, comprised of Pace, Chang, Dessel, Saw and Dingledine won its first match against Towson to move on to the third-fourth place game in which it lost to Robert Morris University.
The Maroon and White will host the annual Abarta Coca-Cola Collegiate Invitational at their home course, Northampton Country Club, on Sunday and Monday.
“One good result could also be the difference,” Albon said. “Sometimes you just need a good finish to change your mindset and propel your game to the next level.”
Disclaimer: Grace Sanborn ’25 is a member of the golf team. She did not contribute writing or reporting.
