Sept. 19, 2010

Complete Results

• 2010 Maryland Intercollegiate - Final Results

CAMBRIDGE, Md. -- Despite carding its low round of the 54-hole Maryland Intercollegiate on Sunday (292, +8), the Mids were unable to crack the top 10, finishing the 15-team tournament in 11th with a 40-over par 892. The Mids trailed 10th-place Old Dominion (892, +39) by two strokes heading into the Sunday's final round, but Navy gained just one stroke in its quest to move into the top 10.

For the second straight tournament, Navy was led by rookie David Hall (Huntersville, N.C.) who finished the tournament in 32nd place. Hall got off to a slow start with a 5-over par 71, but became more comfortable with the fast greens as play went on. Hall gained 10 spots in the final standings after turning in a 1-over par 72 in the final round to finish 9-over (222) for the tournament.

Though senior Ben Hayes (Carmichael, Calif.) finished just two strokes behind Hall in 41st, Hayes owned Navy's low round of not only the day, but also the tournament. Hayes jumped from the Mids' fifth-lowest score to second lowest by shooting par on Sunday. He, alongside junior Peter Reilly (Merrimack, N.H.), finished the tournament with an 11-over par 224.

"Ben is an excellent example of our resiliency on the course,"said Navy head coach Pat Owen. "He was 5-over over the first six holes of the tournament and played the remaining 12 holes 5-under. He did a great job of keeping his composure and bouncing back. It showed great leadership."

Both Hayes and Reilly opened the tournament with a 7-over par 78, but Reilly managed to push his way up in the standings after recording back-to-back 2-over par 73s in the remaining two rounds.

Junior Tim Shield (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.) was consistent throughout the tournament by shooting rounds of 76, 75 and 76 to place 55th with a 14-over par 227. Meanwhile, senior Rob Merkert (Severna Park, Md.) looked to be the leader out of the gates after posting a team-low 2-over par 73 in the opening round. Merkert, however, stumbled in the second round with an 8-over par 79 before finishing with a 5-over par 76 in the finale. He concluded the event 15-over (228) in 59th.

"I was really proud of the way that our guys were able to adjust to the green speed," added Owen. "Today they were much more comfortable and that was evident in our improved scores.

Trailing UNC Wilmington by just one stroke heading into the final round, Penn State (844, -8) shot a 1-under par 283 in the final round to earn an 8-stroke victory over the Seahawks (852, E). Xavier placed second with a 4-over par 856, followed by Toledo in fourth (860, +8) and host Maryland rounding out the top five with a 15-over par 867.

Penn State's Michael Miller edged out Penn's Max Marsico for medalist honors, as Miller finished 6-under (207) and Marsico was 5-under (208). Three of the top six placewinners represented the Nittany Lions.

Navy returns to action next weekend when hit travels to West Point, N.Y. to take part in the annual Star Match against Army. The traditional two-day Ryder Cup-style event will feature four 4-ball matches on Saturday, followed by seven singles matches on Sunday. The first team to reach six points is declared the winner. Army upended the Mids last spring by earning a 6-5 win to take the Star at the Naval Academy Golf Course in Annapolis.