UConn golf is still dominating as they continue their streak of Top 5 finishes. They are looking to do it for an eighth time this season as they travel down to Southern Pines, North Carolina, to compete in the Donald Ross Collegiate Classic on March 7. UConn will send Jared Nelson, Tommy Dallahan, Caleb Manuel and Jimmy Paradise as a team to compete, while Nick Hampoian will compete individually. Head coach Dave Pezzino continues to lead the Huskies to victory again with hopes to capture a third Big East championship.
Jared Nelson has been doing well, tying for eighth place in a 121-player field with an even par 70-73-73=216 in the Advance Partners Collegiate Tournament along with Tommy Dallahan, who finished third in the top 20.
Dallahan came in tied for 11th with a lover, 74-71-72=217, which is his best finish of the season including his sixth and seventh rounds of par or better.
Caleb Manuel tied for 23rd place with a five over, 72-76-73= 221, including his 12th round of par or better. Freshman Trevor Lopez finished in a tie for 55th with a 13 over, 75-78-76=229.
Jimmy Paradise tied for 65th with a 15 over, 73-78-80=231, while senior Nick Hampoian had a 19 over, 79-74-82=235.
Seton Hall is coming into this tournament with talent as well, with Big East Male Golfer of the Week, Wenliang Xie. He tied for 10th place at the Loyola Intercollegiate in Goodyear, Arizona, recently, and is looking to continue his success on the green. Out of 110 golfers, he shot a four-under 212 (70-72-70) and had four birdies in his final round of 70. This is Xie’s third career top 10 finish and his third sub-par tournament. This junior golfer is someone to look out for in this match.
Along with Xie, Seton Hall has two more golfers in the top ten player rankings: seniors Andres Acevado and Gregor Trait. The Pirates are currently No. 1 in the Big East. Big East competitors will include St. John’s and Villanova. Other teams competing are Elon, George Washington, Loyola, Ohio University, Old Dominion, Princeton, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph’s, Towson, William & Mary and Winthrop.
The first round of the Donald Ross Collegiate Classic will tee off on March 7 at 7:30 a.m. at the Mid Pines Golf Club. The final round will be on March 8 to close out the tournament, which is hosted by George Mason University.
