MANCHESTER, Vt. - The fall season came to an end for the Williams College men's golf team on Tuesday at Ekwanok Country Club for the Sap Bucket Challenge, an annual event featuring several NESCAC teams at the historic course in Southern Vermont.
The Ephs captured a share of the championship, tying with Trinity for first place in the four-team event, ahead of Middlebury and Hamilton.Â
The format featured eight golfers for each school, with the best six scores counting, and Williams and Trinity both finished with a score of 443, the scorers averaging under 74 on the challenging Par-70 course. Originally Williams looked to have a 444 but a closer look at the scorecards revealed the team score was actually in a tie with Trinity.
"Really proud of how the team battled on a tough course," said Head Coach Josh Hillman. "They showed real grit and hung in there for the stretch."
Hunter Justice and Owen Barber led the way for the Ephs, each scoring a 72, ahead of Jack Estrella and Nick Smith, who were both at 74. Will Rich had a 75, and John Pagano, Peter Aznar Klein, and Aydin Aly Ajani each shot 76, of which one score counted toward the team's total.
The depth of the squad was especially impressive as all eight scorers shot 76 or lower, and while Trinity's top six also finished at 443, its seventh and eighth golfers were both at 79. The Ephs' top four scorers on Tuesday were all first-years or sophomores.
"I'm really happy with how the fall season went as a whole," said Hillman. "Two first place finishes, a second and two other solid performances. We are a young team and everyone stepped up this fall. I'm very excited for spring."
The spring season will feature several competitive tournaments before the NESCAC Championship, which will be held April 24-26 and will be hosted by Trinity.
