BLOOMFIELD, Conn. – The Roger Williams University Men's Golf team will look for its third straight conference title beginning on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Trumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield, Conn., at the Conference of New England (CNE) Championship.
The Hawks took the title at last season's conference championship at Tedesco Country Club in Marblehead, Mass., when the Hawks combined for a two-day total of 598 (+38), shooting 304 on day one followed by a 294 in their second round. Ryan Dacey (East Greenwich, R.I.) was the Hawks' top golfer, earning the top spot for individuals in the tournament, shooting a 145 (+5) with rounds of 75 and 70, respectively.
The Hawks took home their first title since the program returned in 2013 and first since the Fall 2002 season in 2023, beating Endicott, who finished second by six strokes. The Hawks hit 299 on the opening day and followed with a 301 on day two to finish with a 600 (+24).
Three Hawks enter the lineup for the weekend with two years of CNE Championship experience, as Dacey, Will Lafrance (Westport, Mass.), and Sammy Johnson (West Springfield, Mass.) have played in both 2023 and 2024. Along with Dacey's top finish in 2024, he placed second in 2023, carding a 71 and 72 for a two-day total of 143 (-1), finishing second.
Lafrance posted a 157 (+13), finishing tied for 16th after rounds of 79 and 78, but carded a 151 (+11), finishing tied for seventh in 2024, while improving on rounds of 79 and 78 for a 157 (+13) in 2023's tournament. Johnson carded a 72 and 780 in his first tournament, carding a 152 (+8), finishing tied for seventh, but finished tied for 26th in 2024 with rounds of 82 and 78 2024 carding a 150 (+20).
Returning for his second tournament is Josh Peterson (Goffstown, N.H.), who posted a 76 and 74, shooting a two-day total of 150 (+10), finishing tied for third in the 2024 CNE Championships.
Joining the lineup is Dante Hardt (Orange, Conn.), who was part of the Hawks' roster at the NCAA Championships this past May and will be making his CNE Championships debut.
Nine teams will take the course this weekend, vying for the title, with Endicott, Gordon, Nichols, Suffolk, Hartford, University of New England, Wentworth, and WNE rounding out the field.
The CNE will host a two-day, 36-hole championship event. Day One pairings have been determined by team finish in the 2024 CNE Championship and consist of groups of three. Players will be grouped by position in each wave. Tee times will begin with No. 5 players and continue in descending order, with the No. 1 players teeing off last in each wave. Day Two will follow the same format, but will use each team's finishing order on Saturday to determine team groups for the final round.
Roger Williams is scheduled to take the course at approximately 12:30 pm on Saturday as they look to secure their third straight conference title.
