Bryant heads to Florida, looks for second title at NEC Championship April 28-30

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Led by the strong play of senior Ryan Tombs (Bedford, N.H.), the Bryant University golf team heads to Daytona Beach, Fla., to compete for their second Northeast Conference Championship April 28-30.

Joining Tombs will be seniors John Roberts (West Hartford, Conn.) and McKinley Slade (Saunderstown, R.I.), sophomore Ryan Brown (Bedford, N.H.) and rookie Will Del Biaggio (San Jose, Calif.).

Last season, the Bulldogs made up a nine-stroke third-round deficit – including a five-stroke hole heading to the 18th – to force the first team playoff in NEC history. Wagner needed three holes to break the deadlock, but the Seahawks finally took the upper hand the second time through the 18th to win the title and bid into the NCAA tournament.

A two-time All-NEC First Teamer and former NEC Rookie of the Year, Tombs has been dominant all season for the Black and Gold, averaging a season-long 72.8 with a 73.7 average this spring. The senior started and ended his regular season with an individual victory, taking the title at September's Ryan Lee Memorial Tournament and last week's Rhode Island Invitational. Tombs was twice named NEC Golfer of the Month this fall and earned Golfer of the Week recognitions following his most recent win. He enters the NEC Championship with the team's top scoring average and has top-25 finishes in six of his nine events this year. He has finished in the top-11 in three of four tournaments this spring.

Slade has two top-25 finishes this spring and four on the year as a whole, entering Friday's first round averaging 75.4 in 20 rounds. The senior has been a strong scorer for the Black and Gold, hitting at even par on three rounds since returning to play after the winter break. Slade enters the championship as the reigning NEC Golfer of the Year and was an All-NEC First Teamer as a junior.

Roberts enters championship play off his best performance of the spring, finishing 16th while carding a 223 at the Rhode Island Invitational. The senior averages a 75.6 through nine events.

Brown has shined in early rounds throughout the spring, with top-25 finishes in each of his last two outings. The second-year Bulldog averages a 75.7 and has played in all four events in 2017 with seven appearances on the year as a whole. Of his 10 rounds this spring, four have been at or under par.

Del Biaggio has made an immediate impact with his play this season, including earning the individual victory at the VGA/UConn Collegiate Invitational earlier this month. The talented rookie averages 74.7 over 20 rounds, good for second on the team behind Tombs. Del Biaggio has three top-5 and five top-25 finishes in 2016-17, with two of those top-5 outings coming this spring.

The Bulldogs tee off from LPGA International Friday, April 28 and will play 54 holes over three days, with the winner earning a bid into the NCAA tournament field. Fans can follow along with the live stats link at bryantbulldogs.com.