March 22, 2008

Results

BETHANY BEACH, Del. -- Keita Aoki (Tokyo, Japan/St. Mary's International) shot an even-par 72 in the second round to help the Bucknell men's golf team to a fifth-place finish at the George Washington Invitational, which wrapped up Saturday at Bear Trap Dunes G.C. on the Delaware coast.

The event was scheduled for 54 holes but was shortened to 45 due to darkness. Those last holes proved to be Bucknell's downfall, as the Bison were tied for second after one round and a close fourth after two rounds, but four of the five players shot 39 or higher on the final nine, and the team slipped to fifth in a 20-team field.

Two Bison individuals finished in the top 15. Rahul Desai (Avon, Conn./Kingswood-Oxford) finished eighth with rounds of 72-75-39, while Aoki tied for 13th with scores of 76-72-41.

Freshman Ben Mattingly (Fishers, Ind./Park Tudor), improved as the tournament progressed, shooting 80-75-36. Andrew Cohen (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) posted 76-76-41, while Brian Bartow (Rye, N.Y./Rye Neck) shot 82-87-40.

Maryland came from behind to win the tournament with a 45-hole total of 738, 10 shots better than George Washington. Penn and Navy tied for third at 749, while Bucknell took fifth at 758. The Bison shot a solid 298, but the team's 156 total on the final nine holes was just 17th in the field.

Maryland's Chris Gold won the individual title at even par.

The Bison are back in action Apr. 12-13 at the Lafayette Invitational.