Bulldogs earn second-straight top-5 finish

FRESHMAN KYLE BUSCHMANN PACES BRYANT WITH SECOND-PLACE FINISH

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Led by a second-place finish from freshman Kyle Buschmann (East Haddam, Conn.), the Bryant University golf team finished fifth overall at the AIC/Adelphi Intercollegiate Classic Saturday and Sunday in Putnam, Conn.

The Bulldogs moved up two places after the first round of competition Saturday to finish fifth in the 13-team field, just 15 strokes behind tournament host and winner Adelphi. The fifth-place finish is Bryant's second-straight top-five placing and came on the back of two top-10 individual performances in the two-day event.

After shooting a 69 on day one, Buschmann shot a 73 on Sunday to finish in a three-way tie for second at even par, just three shots behind tournament winner Steven Zychowski of Holy Cross. Junior Zach Garbacik (Hadley, Mass.) finished the weekend tied for ninth at six over par after shooting a 71 on Sunday, six strokes better than his round-one total.

Just behind Garbacik, sophomore Conor McGovern (Darien, Conn.) closed out the weekend tied for 24th place after carding a two-day total of 153, while freshman Joseph Walp (Portland, Maine) finished in a five-way tie for 33rd place. Closing out the Bryant golfers, senior Brendan Allen (Chelmsford, Mass.) completed weekend play with a two-day total of 161, good for 51st place overall in his first appearance of the season.

As a team, the Bulldogs shot 599 over two days, including shooting 294 on Sunday, the second-best round of the fall season for the Black & Gold.

Bryant will next head to The Captains Golf Course in Brewster, Mass., for the three-day NEIGA Championships to wrap up its fall season Oct. 27-29.