Bryant golf picked to finish second in league in 2015

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- After winning the Northeast Conference Championship and garnering a bid into the NCAA tournament a season ago, the Bryant University golf team has been picked to finish second by the league's head coaches in 2015.

The Bulldogs, who earned one first-place vote, come in right behind preseason favorite Robert Morris, who garnered six first-place nods. Fairleigh Dickinson was tabbed to finish third, with Central Connecticut receiving one first-place vote and coming in fourth. Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U. tied for fifth in the preseason rankings, with LIU Brooklyn, Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn rounding out the nine-team field, respectively.

Bryant will enter the season looking to defend its title after claiming the NEC Championship for the first time in program history in 2014. Ryan Tombs (Bedford, N.H.) had a sensational debut season for the Bulldogs, earning NEC Rookie of the Year and All-NEC First Team honors while finishing tied for first at the NEC Championships before falling in a two-hole playoff.

Juniors Kyle Buschmann (East Haddam, Conn.) and Joe Walp (Portland, Maine) joined Tombs on the All-NEC First Team a year ago, and Buschmann posted Bryant's best finish at the NCAA regional with a 231 over three rounds. Walp netted seven top-10 finishes in 10 events last season, including a sudden-death playoff hole victory over RMU's Santiago Mejia to win the Lonnie Barton Invitational.

The Bulldogs also return veteran senior Conor McGovern (Darien, Conn.), as well as strong fall season performers John Roberts (West Hartford, Conn.) and McKinley Slade (Saunderstown, R.I.).

Bryant kicks off the 2015 season March 9-10 at the Lonnie Barton Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla.