After a successful fall season, in which they had three top-three finishes, the Drexel University men’s golf team looks to continue their success in the spring. Their first tournament was the Lonnie Barton Invitational in Daytona Beach, Florida, March 4 and 5. They were up against teams such as Iona College and Towson University.
On the first day, the Dragons looked to dominate against these teams from across the nation. Junior Connor Schmidt opened the invitational with an even-par 72 for the first round. This was a great way to start off the season, especially since Schmidt’s play was exactly how he played in the fall, showing the world that Drexel is a force not to be messed with anytime in the year.
Overall, the Dragons shot a 311 for the first day, putting them at 10th place out of 21. Junior Alex Butler was the second-lowest scorer with a 79, with sophomores Angelo Giantsopoulos and Jeffrey Cunningham scoring 80s.
On the second day Schmidt was even more successful, shooting a three-under par 69 to earn medalist honors. He ended the tournament also three-under for a total score of 141 (despite being third place on day one), earning first place in the tournament as an individual. Cunningham continued his dominance by placing second on the Drexel team, with a score of 156. Butler and sophomore Stephen Cerbara shot a 160, while Giantsopoulos shot a 161. This brought the Dragons up from 10th place to fifth place, which is a huge recovery from the first day.
Overall, Bethune-Cookman University won the tournament with a score of 584. The University of North Alabama came in second, 20 shots back of Bethune-Cookman. Drexel stood just behind Longwood University and Wright State University in the top five.
The Dragons will head to the Redhawk Invitational April 1 and 2.