Bulldogs picked first in NEC Preseason Golf Poll

Smithfield, R.I. – The Bryant University golf team has been picked to finish first in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time in school history, receiving a total of four first-place tallies.

The Bulldogs were one of five teams to receive a first-place vote, finishing three votes ahead of second-place Central Connecticut. The Blue Devils received one first-place vote, while Saint Francis U. was picked to finish in third with two first-place nods.  Fairleigh Dickinson, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart round out the top six, with Robert Morris and Sacred Heart each receiving one first-place vote.  LIU Brooklyn was picked seventh by the coaches, while Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn round out the nine-team poll, getting picked to finish eighth and ninth, respectively.

After finishing fifth in last year's conference tournament, the Bulldogs responded with a strong fall season that included two top-five team finishes.  The team took fourth place in the Connecticut Cup and third in the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association Championships and will look to carry its winning ways into the spring season.  Sophomore Kyle Buschmann (East Haddam, Conn.) led the team in the fall with a 73.7 stroke average and placed in the top-10 twice, including a first-place finish at the Blue Devils Invitational.  Classmate Joe Walp (Portland, Maine) will also look to build off his strong fall season that was highlighted by a top-5 finish (T-4th) at the Blue Devils Invitational.

The Bulldogs kick off the 2014 season with the Lonnie Barton Invitational March 9-11 at the LPGA International Golf Course in St. Augustine, Fla.