Tombs, Marotta tie for fourth, Bulldogs claim second at New England DI Championship

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Behind a fourth-place individual finish from sophomore Ryan Tombs (Bedford, N.H.), the Bryant University golf team carded the best team score of the tournament Sunday (296) to finish second at the New England Division I Championship.

Tombs's Sunday 72 was the best individual score of the two-round tournament and lifted the sophomore from 13th to fourth with a total score of 150 (+6). Classmate McKinley Slade (Saunderstown, R.I.) followed with a second-round 74, and junior Kyle Buschmann (East Haddam, Conn.) added a 75 as the pair tied for an eighth-place finish with scores of 152.

Junior Joe Walp (Portland, Maine) also carded a 75 Sunday to tie for 12th overall (78-75=153), while sophomore John Roberts (West Hartford, Conn.) tied for 16th with a two-day 157 (79-78).

Junior Nicholas Marotta (Orange, N.Y.) tied Tombs in fourth playing as an individual after a second-round 76 (150), while senior Conor McGovern (Darien, Conn.) finished the tournament knotted for 19th (76-83=159). Rookie Gabriel Van Ness (Clinton, Conn.) improved his day-two score by six strokes (78) to tie for 26th overall, while senior Taylor Hammond (Hopkinton, Mass.) finished in 31st (80-86=166).

The University of Rhode Island, behind individual winner Makenzie Denver (74-73=147), took the team title with a two-round 595 (297-298). Bryant's second-place finish came on a 607, with Fordham slipping into third after a Sunday 318 (623). UMass Lowell (635) and Holy Cross (647) wrapped up the field, respectively.

The tournament marked the final tune-up for the Bulldogs, who will next hit the greens in Daytona Beach, Fla., May 1-3 to compete in the Northeast Conference Championships and vie for a return trip to the NCAA tournament.