May 1, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - Navy won the 2008 Patriot League Golf Championship by 17 strokes with a score of 925 in the event at Saucon Valley Country Club on April 26-27. The Mids will now head to one of three NCAA regionals on May 15-17.
Patriot League Golf Release - 5.1.08 
April Golfer of the Month
Erich Schoen, Navy Sr., Sylvania, Ohio.
Schoen earns Golfer of the Month honors after winning the Patriot League Championship with a 7-over 223 over the weekend. He received Patriot League Most Outstanding Player recognition for the individual title, and led Navy to its first overall crown since 2003.
Schoen became the sixth different Navy player to win the individual title, and first since Billy Hurley in 2004. He also earned his initial All-Patriot League honor with a spot on the first team.
One week before the Patriot League Championship, Schoen turned in a strong performance with a tie for seventh place at the Navy Invitational.
AprilHonorable Mention Performances
Matt Krembel, Army Fr., Shalimar, Fla.
Krembel won his first collegiate event at the Mount St. Mary's Invitational, then earned Second-Team All-League honors with a tie for seventh place at the Patriot League Championship.
Ricky Hayes, Colgate Sr., Ridgefield, Conn.
Hayes finished in second place, just two shots off the lead, at the Patriot League Championship to earn First-Team All-League recognition.
Patriot League Notebook
Navy Claims 2008 Patriot League Championship
Navy pulled away on the final 18 holes to claim the 2008 Patriot League Golf Championship with a score of 925 in the 54-hole tourney held at Saucon Valley Country Club.
The Mids earn their fifth Patriot League Championship, and the first since 2003. Navy senior Erich Schoen claimed Most Outstanding Player honors after shooting a 75 on the final day for a score of 223 over the weekend. The Mids held a seven-shot lead after the first 36 holes were completed on Saturday, and won the Championship by 17 strokes by shooting a 307 on Sunday's 18 holes. Navy's total was 10 shots better than any other team for the day. The Mids will now receive an automatic bid to one of the three NCAA regionals, held on the weekend of May 15-17. Their destination will be announced on May 5.
Navy also claimed all of the Patriot League's individual honors. In addition to Schoen, freshman Ben Hayes received Rookie of the Year recognition after finishing third in the field with a score of 228. Head Coach Pat Owen received Patriot League Coach of the Year honors, his sixth career award and first since 2004. The Mids are the first team to sweep the individual honors since the Rookie of the Year award originated in 2005.
Bucknell, who won the Patriot League Championship in 2006 and 2007, finished in second place with a score of 942. Lehigh moved up to third with a score of 960, followed by Holy Cross in fourth at 962, Colgate in fifth at 965, Army in sixth with a 969 and Lafayette placing seventh with a 978.
Patriot League Golf Championship Results
1. Navy 311-307-307-925
2. Bucknell 322-303-317-942
3. Lehigh 325-317-318-960
4. Holy Cross 318-324-320-962
5. Colgate 322-313-330-965
6. Army 317-323-329-969
7. Lafayette 343-315-320-978
Patriot League Golf Major Awards
Most Outstanding Player: Erich Schoen, Navy
Rookie of the Year: Ben Hayes, Navy
Coach of the Year: Pat Owen, Navy
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Chris Renninger, Navy
Team Notebooks
Army The Black Knights came in sixth place at the Patriot League Championship with a team score of 969. Matt Krembel led the way by finishing in a tie for seventh place, earning Second-Team All-Patriot League honors in the process. Krembel's League Championship performance came one week after he placed first overall at the Mount St. Mary's Invitational, pacing the Black Knights to a second-place finish in the 18-team field. It was his first collegiate victory in his eighth start. Krembel fired a pair of 66s to notch the low round in the field. He is Army's first tournament winner since 2006. Army will graduate three-time All Patriot League selection Patrick Beverly, Matthew Hanlon and Joey Cave.
Bucknell Buckell saw its two-year reign as Patriot League champion come to an end when it finished second to Navy at the League Championship last weekend. The Bison posted a team score of 942, with Rahul Desai leading the way by finishing in fourth place overall with a 54-hole total of 231. Desai earned First-Team All-League honors, while Andrew Cohen took home second-team recognition after shooting a 235. It was Cohen's second All-League honor in as many seasons at Bucknell. The Bison won their second tournament of the season when they placed first among 25 teams at the Lafayette Invitational on April 12-13. The Bison rallied from eighth place and 14 shots off the lead to start the final day.
Colgate Ricky Hayes placed second at the Patriot League Championship, finishing just two shots off the victory. Hayes helped Colgate to a fifth-place finish in the event. He earned All-League honors for the second time, receiving a first-team selection. He also led all Patriot League golfers at the Yale Spring Opener on April 5-6, an even that also included Lafayette and Holy Cross. He ended the season with a team-best 74.2 scoring average, and had six top 10 finishes.
Holy Cross The Crusaders recorded a fourth-place finish at the Patriot League Championship. Seniors Matt Czarnecki and Ryan Kenny both shot a 236 to finish in a tie for seventh place and earn Second-Team All-League honors. Czarnecki, who won Most Outstanding Player honors as the winner of the 2007 League Championship, becomes the 12th Patriot Leaguer to receive three-career All-League selections.
Lafayette The Leopards placed seventh in the Patriot League Championship. After a score of 343 on the opening 18 holes, Lafayette's total of 635 on the final 36 was tied for the third-best in the field. Freshman Tyler Ostrovsky earned Second-Team All-League honors by placing in a tie for seventh in the event. He is the first Lafayette golfer to receive All-League accolades since 2003, and just the third of all-time. Ostrovsky was Lafayette's top finisher in every event in April.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks had a strong finish on the final 18 holes to place third in the Patriot League Championship. They moved up from a tie for fifth entering the day. Will Robinson led all Lehigh golfers with an 11th-place finish. The Mountain Hawks also won the four-team Lehigh Valley Collegiate earlier in the week.
Navy After winning the Patriot League Championship and qualifying for one of three NCAA regionals, the Mids will wait for Monday's announcement of their NCAA destination. Navy will take a two-tournament win streak into the NCAAs, as it also won its host invitational the week before the Patriot League Championship. Navy won its first Patriot League title since 2003, and fifth of all time. The 17-shot victory was the largest for a League champion since the Mids won their last title by 31 strokes, when the tourney was also played at Saucon Valley. Navy completed its sweep of the major Patriot League awards when Chris Renninger won his second consecutive Patriot League Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor on Wednesday. Renninger's honor came after Pat Owen was named Coach of the Year, Erich Schoen received Most Outstanding Player recognition and Ben Hayes was named Rookie of the Year.
