Braselton, Ga. ? The Stetson men's golf team finished the Atlantic Sun conference championships Wednesday right where they started: in sixth place out of 10 teams. The sixth-place finish is Stetson's best since taking fifth place in 2002. Sophomore Dave McAndrew (Barrington, R.I.) and junior Tommy Parker (Palm Beach, Fla.) each shot two over par rounds of 73 in their last outing on the Woodlands Course at Chateau Elan Golf Club.
McAndrew's 73 allowed him to finish a team-best tied for 14th place in the 50-golfer field at +8 overall. He had previously shot rounds of 76 and 72. Parker tied for 21st place at 12 over par and freshman Gabe Costa (Tequesta, Fla.) joined him in the top 25, shooting 76 today to tie for 23rd place at +13.
Senior Brenden Kennedy (Newport, N.H.) shot five over par 76 in his final collegiate round, tying for 32nd place overall at +19 in the 54-hole event. Freshman Michael Stewart (Edgewater, Fla.) completed the Hatter quintet with an 82 in the final round. He finished the tournament 25 over par in a tie for 46th place.
North Florida won its first Atlantic Sun conference championship, edging 20th-ranked defending champs East Tennessee State by one stroke. UNF finished +14 while ETSU came in at +15. Hosts Kennesaw State and Campbell tied for third place at +27 with Gardner-Webb taking fifth place with a three-day score of 41 over par. Stetson's team score was +52, four shots better than seventh-place Lipscomb. Belmont and Mercer tied for eighth at +61 while Jacksonville came in last place, 71 strokes over par.
ETSU's Gareth Shaw held onto his second-round lead to win the individual title at -3 by one stroke over teammate Rhys Enoch. Oliver West (Kennesaw State) took third place at even par.
Stetson is in good position to build on its best A-Sun finish in six years, as the Hatters return four of the five golfers that competed for them at the championships. The performances of the sophomore McAndrew and the rookie Costa bode particularly well for the 2008-09 edition of Stetson Men's Golf.
