New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College men's golf team is preparing to compete in the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Fall Championship this weekend, October 16-17. The nine-team, 36-hole event will be hosted Southern Maine and contested at the 6,555-yard, par-71 Gorham Country Club.
In their inaugural trip to the tournament last fall, the Falcons finished ninth with a two-day team total score of 773 in tough conditions at Allendale Country Club in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts. This year, the team has amassed a pair of dual-match victories, while performing well in tournament action as well. AMC topped in-state rival Mitchell and Eastern Nazarene at home in 2016 with strong performances from their top-three players.
Albertus Magnus is led by senior No. 1 Aaron Macchia (Utica, N.Y.). He has carded the low score for the Falcons in every event this fall and every round he's played in during his career. Macchia has twice earned low individual medalist honors this season. Both instances came at home in dual-match play. His stroke average this fall is 80.2. He shot a season-best 78 and finished third at the Mitchell Invitational in early September.
Junior Zach Schatz (East Haven, Conn.) has firmly established himself as the team's No. 2 player in 2016 after a strong sophomore campaign last autumn. Schatz has picked up a pair of top-five finishes this year and he also landed in 12th at the season-opening Mitchell Invitational. He has a stroke average of 89.6 and he shot a season-best 86 at the Westfield State Invitational.
Senior Tyler Donnan (Meriden, Conn.) has also emerged as a threat to go low for Albertus Magnus. In two appearances on the links, he has a stroke average of 95. In his season debut, he carded an 89 and finished third in a dual match against the Mariners.
Other contributors for the squad this fall have been senior Tom Moore (East Haven, Conn.), sophomore Elijah Thomas (New Haven, Conn.) and junior Tom Crocco (Kings Park, N.Y.). Moore and Thomas have shown vast improvement on the links since the beginning of the season. In his first year with the team, Crocco competed for a spot in the scoring lineup.
Leading up to the tournament, the GNAC released this year's Championship Poll, which is voted on by the league's head coaches, and the Falcons were picked to finish ninth with 12 points.
For the latest information on the men's golf team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.