Posted: 03/02/2012 | Last updated: March 2, 2012 at 03:43 PM
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men’s golf team is gearing up for the spring season, and will begin its quest for a Patriot League title with a trip to Florida during spring break. The Mountain Hawks will spend the week at the World Woods Golf Club in Brooksville, Fla., where they will work on their game, while also taking on Coe College in a match on Tuesday.
“This is a great week for our guys to be able to bond together and work on their games,” said Lehigh head coach Henry D’Alberto. “We’re going to check out the Honda Classic Sunday, as a team, something we haven’t done before but it should be a neat experience. Overall it’s a good week to work on things and get ready for the rest of our spring season.”
The Mountain Hawks played in four events during the fall season, with their top performance being a sixth-place finish at the fall-opening Bucknell Invitational in September. Lehigh’s most recent competition was the Lehigh Invitational in late October at Saucon Valley Country Club, where the Mountain Hawks finished sixth in the eight team field.
Four different players led the Mountain Hawks in their four fall competitions. Returning All-Patriot League performer Doug Marcincin, a senior captain, paced the Brown and White at the Lehigh Invitational, while fellow senior Tim Rosenhouse led Lehigh at Bucknell. Sophomore Alex DiClemente led the Mountain Hawks at the Hartford Invitational, while freshman Carlos Kim led Lehigh at the Seton Hall Invitational, and closed the fall on a strong note with a 74 on the final day of the Lehigh Invitational.
The seven-player Lehigh roster also includes junior Sean Keller, sophomore Andrew Arnold and freshman Zach Allinson, giving Lehigh a deep group where spots in lineup should be very competitive all spring long.
“We didn’t have a very good fall, but we did play a match against Lafayette and did very well,” D’Alberto said. “Hard to say what our prospects are for the spring, but just as I said in the fall I think this the most talented team we’ve had since I’ve been here.
D’Alberto continued, “Every one of our seven guys is capable of shooting under par which we’ve never had before. We’re going to continue to work to get to where we need to be, but it would also be nice to see one or two guys take to the lead.”
As part of its spring break trip, Lehigh will play a medal match against Coe College, Tuesday with the first tee time set for 11:15 a.m. Both teams will send out seven golfers, with the top four for each side counting towards the score.
Lehigh’s spring tournament schedule heats up in April when the Mountain Hawks will compete at the Quaker Invitational (April 2), the Lafayette Invitational (April 15-16), the Navy Invitational (April 21-22) and the Lehigh Valley Collegiate (April 24). The Patriot League Championship is set for April 28-29 at Bucknell.
“If we play the way we’re capable, we can win the Patriot League Championship,” D’Alberto explained. “We have the talent to do it, but it doesn’t happen by accident. This will be an important month because all our tournaments are in April. If we can get in contention early on that would be big. Every event is important. If we play well, it will give everyone belief of what we can accomplish.”