Neshanic Station, NJ- The Wagner College men's golf team finished ninth at the Peacock invitational last week. Held at the par 72, 7069 yard Neshanic Valley Golf Club, the Green & White competed in a field of 51 players from nine teams. 

Bucknell garnered the first-place spot with a 291 while Iona notched second with a 299 and Saint Peter's finished in third with a 303. 

Junior Connor Popp (Syracuse, NY / Westhill) paced the Seahawk squad, finishing in 18th with a score of 77. Sophomore Steve Nakajima (Delta British Columbia, Canada / Delta Secondary School) finished just two strokes behind Popp, taking the 24th spot with a 79. Freshman Lucas Grant (Schenectady, NY / Schenectady HS) shot an 87, putting him in 43rd while classmate Alex Carson (North Salem, NY) finished in 49th with a 100. Senior William Rassman (Rochester, NY) rounded out the squad of Seahawk competitors in 50th, carding a round of 101. 

“I know Connor and Steve are not thrilled with their performances today, however, it is refreshing to see some scores under 80, particularly on this golf course,” said assistant coach Chris Fourman. “They certainly had to hit some quality shots out there on Tuesday. 

“Connor really had it going better than his score indicates. He was actually only +3 going into 18, however, he pushed himself a little too hard trying to get a stroke back and ended up giving two back with a double bogey. 

“Steve scrambled a good bit today, but the several times that I saw him on the course he always seemed to hit the shot he needed to hit to get himself out of trouble,” said Fourman. “Steve is hitting the driver really well right now, so as he continues to hone in on his wedge game and sees some of the putts he is currently missing go in, we will see many more scoring opportunities for him.

“Lastly, I was really pleased with Lucas's performance today. I know he is not thrilled with an 87, but I am seeing a lot of good things on the course. He is a very good ball striker and is just lacking in the short game currently. We are going to spend the next week sharpening his toolset around the greens in preparation for conferences.” 

Wagner concludes its action Thursday, April 29th when the Seahawks travel to Orlando, FL to compete in the NEC Championships.