Rhode Island College Captures Fourth Straight GNAC Men’s Golf Championship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RESULTS: TEAM | INDIVIDUAL

RIC junior Jonathan Cooper
earns medalist honors at Ponkapoag

CANTON, Mass. – Rhode Island College claimed its fourth Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Golf Championship in as many years on Sunday, shooting a collective 587 at Ponkapoag Golf Course in Canton, Mass.

The Anchormen shot a 295 on Sunday to finish nine strokes ahead of runner-up Johnson & Wales University, which faced a nine-stroke deficit entering competition on Sunday.

RIC junior Jonathan Cooper, who led the field on Saturday by carding a 70, earned medalist honors on Sunday in leading his team to the tournament title, as he shot a 72 to finish at 142 for the weekend. Cooper receives GNAC Player of the Year honors as a result of his win.

The official GNAC major award announcements will be handed down on Thursday.

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth freshman Tyler Hemingway was the top rookie finisher on Sunday, carding a 146 to finish tied for fourth, receiving 2014 GNAC Rookie of the Year honors as a result.

Also contributing to the Anchormen's victory was senior Patrick Ford, who shot a round-best 69 on Sunday to finish in second place overall with a 143, just one shot off Cooper's pace.

UMass Dartmouth sophomore Michael Byron finished third overall with a 144, while University of Southern Maine sophomore Spencer Plante tied Hemingway for fifth with a 146. 

Cooper, Ford, Byron, Hemingway and Plante will all receive 2014 GNAC First Team All-Conference honors based on their weekend finishes.

Johnson & Wales captured its second-place team finish by having four student-athletes finish between seventh and 11th place among the 40 competitors.

UMass Dartmouth, Southern Maine and host Suffolk University all held firm on their respective Saturday finishes to finish third, fourth and fifth respectively in the team standings, while Saint Joseph's College of Maine, which sat in last place after entering Sunday, shot a 305 to earn a sixth-place finish.

Saint Joseph's (ME) sophomore Michael Caron, who was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Co-Golfer of the Month for September, shot an 81 on Saturday before recovering with a 70 on Sunday to finish in 12th place (151).

See below for the complete team results. For complete individual results, please click here.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement.

Medalist / Player of the Year - Jonathan Cooper, RIC
Rookie of the Year - Tyler Hemingway, UMass Dartmouth

GNAC Golf Championship Final Standings
1. RIC – 587
2. Johnson & Wales – 596
3. UMass Dartmouth – 602
4. Southern Maine – 604
5. Suffolk – 618
6. Saint Joseph's (ME) - 632
7. Worcester State – 635
8. Emmanuel – 642

– #theGNAC –