SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The six-time defending Middle Atlantic Conference champion Susquehanna University golf team is in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament field for the third-straight year and fourth time in five seasons. Under 11th-year head coach and Susquehanna Director of Athletics Don Harnum, the Crusader golfers will play in this year's 72-hole national championship event from Monday, May 15, through Thursday, May 18, at the Bedford Golf Course in Battle Creek, Mich. The event is hosted by Olivet College.
The NCAA Division III Championship Selection Committee invites the top 23 teams and five individuals for a total of 120 participants. Susquehanna had its best showing in its four previous trips to nationals last year by placing 16th at the Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass. It won its sixth-straight MAC championship by 10 shots over King's on Sunday. It was the seventh title under Harnum (1992, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2000).
"We came from a long way back in the fall and I have to tell you, I'm surprised we've progressed as far as we have," said Harnum, who also coach when Rob Rohrbach made the Division III Championship field in 1992. "We obviously saved our best for last and thankfully the members of the selection committee saw that when they compared us to some of the other people who were in contention. We really had a lot of people contribute this season, from the top to the bottom of our lineup."
In addition to repeating as conference champion this spring, Susquehanna won its own 16-team Susquehanna Invitational on April 13, and was second out of 13 teams in its Tee-Off Tournament on April 23. The Crusaders were also fourth out of a talented 16-team field at the Cross Creek Apparel District II Invitational at the Hershey Country Club East Course on April 16 and 17.
Susquehanna finished with a 955 to win the 54-hole MAC Championship Tournament last Sunday at the historic Shawnee Country Club.
Junior Hugh Leahy III (Wilmington, Del./Archmere Academy) led the team in its
latest championship as he won the MAC individual championship for the second time in his three-year collegiate career – also finishing as a runner-up a year ago. He shot a 234 last weekend (81-36-77-40) to regain his title. Leahy, who missed the fall season while studying abroad in London, England, has the highest spring average of the five Crusader starters at 83.3 for his 11 rounds. He did shoot a low round of 76 at the Western Maryland Invitational on March 25.
Sophomore Ryan Franks (Huntingdon/Huntingdon H.S.) leads the team in stroke average this spring at 79.5 for 11 rounds, also shooting a 76 at Western Maryland. He
finished second among the Crusaders and fourth overall at MACs with a 240 (79-39-81-39), and was third at in the conference as a freshman. He also tied junior teammate Chris Scagliotti (Allentown/Emmaus H.S.) for the team's second-best score at nationals a year ago, placing 66th with a 72-hole total of 320. Franks averaged 77.6 in limited action during the fall.
Scagliotti finished fifth individually at MACs with a 241 (79-43-81-39) and was second on the team in stroke average this spring at 80.3, despite also studying abroad first semester in London. He had a low round of 77 at the Susquehanna Tee-Off Tournament on March 23.
Freshmen Ryan Reid (Chambersburg/Chambersburg H.S.) and Dan Wolf (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai H.S.) both tied for 10th overall at the conference championships – reversing their scores from Saturday as they each shot 248 for the tournament. Reid shot a 122 Saturday (80-42) and had 126 Sunday (42-84), while Wolf shot a 122 Sunday (43-79) after a 126 in the first 27 holes (84-42).
Wolf had been the hottest Crusader golfer entering MACs – averaging 81.9 this spring, but 78.0 in the three rounds before the conference championship. He tied for the team's low round this spring at the Susquehanna Invitational with a five-over-par 75 on April 13, also shooting that score at the Western Maryland Invitational on March 25.
Reid has averaged 81.7 for the spring, with a low round of 78 at both York and Western Maryland tournaments. He shot a 73 at the Bucknell Invitational during the fall – going on to finish second on the team in stroke average at 80.4.
The 2000 NCAA Division III Golf Championship Field
