Greensboro, NC – The Stetson men's golf team is doing something no Hatters team has done in more than a decade – bringing home a tournament championship.
 
Led by redshirt sophomore Mason Quagliata, the Hatters posted a wind-blown final round score of 301 on Tuesday to capture the title of the Inaugural Aggie Invitational at the Bryan Park Champions Course.
 
Quagliata pulled away to earn medalist honors with a final round 73, giving him a comfortable eight-shot victory over Landon Johnstone from Texas Southern, who finished second. It was the first time a Stetson player has earned medalist honors since Baylor Payne took a one-shot victory at the Colin Montgomerie Invitational in Spring, Texas, in February of 2019.
 
"Conditions were really tough out here, but I drove the ball well and made some key putts," Quagliata said. "It was a different feeling, but it was really fun to feel that pressure coming down the stretch. I tried to focus on one shot at a time and keep the ball in play."
 
Quagliata opened the event on Monday with a round of 75 that was a perfect indication of the difficult playing conditions. With winds blowing in excess of 20 miles per hour, he had a stretch of eight holes on the back nine where he alternated birdies and bogeys, depending which way he was facing the wind.
 
As conditions warmed and the winds calmed some for the afternoon round, Quagliata was able to avoid those bogeys on the back nine, posting four birdies to finish with a two-under par 70, which tied for the low round of the tournament.
 
With a four-shot lead going into Tuesday's final round, Quagliata managed his way around the course with two birdies and three bogeys, posting a 73 to put four shots between him and his closest competitor. He finished the tournament with a total of 12 birdies.
 
"I am super proud of these guys because they have been working so hard this semester to change the culture of this program," first year Hatters' coach Danny Forshey said. "All that hard work paid off this weekend and everyone came up clutch. Conditions were really tough with freezing temperatures and high winds, but I am super happy with how the guys battled to come away with the win. I can't wait for the next one."
 
Freshman Truman Keppy was also a big contributor on Tuesday, posting a one-under par final round score of 71 after struggling to scores of 82 and 81 on Monday. After failing to record a single birdie in his opening round 82, Keppy had three against just two bogeys in the final round to move up 18 spots on the leaderboard to finish tied for 15^th.
 
Redshirt sophomore Bradley Goldstein had his best score in Monday's second round, which included a stretch of six birdies over seven holes. A double-bogey on 16 took a little off that run, but he finished the round at even par 72. That was sandwiched in between an opening round 83 and a final round 80 to leaving him tied for 18^th in the final standings.
 
Freshman Ian Ball managed just one birdie over the 54 holes of play, but played the final 10 holes in the first round at even par to finish with a 76. He started Tuesday's final round well and was just two over through 11 holes, but was five-over down the stretch for a final round 79. He finished 21^st overall.
 
Redshirt junior Ryan Peters never quite got things going his way, but he did improve his score in each round as the tournament progressed. He posted a final round 78 on Tuesday to finish tied for 34^th in the tournament.
 
The Hatters will have two weeks off before playing in their final tune-up for the 2022 ASUN Championship. The next outing will come April 11-12 in the TSU Big Blue Intercollegiate. That event will be played at the Hermitage Golf Club's Presidents Course in Old Hickory, Tenn., just outside of Nashville.
 
The ASUN Championship will follow two weeks later and be played again this year at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga., on April 24-26.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF). Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.