The University of New Haven men’s and women’s golf teams opened their season last week at the West Chester Invitational at The Links of Gettysburg. The Chargers, under new head coach, Evan DeLuca, competed in the two-day invitational which began with the first round on Monday and the second round on Tuesday.
The men’s team was one of eight teams competing on a 6,285-yard Par 72 course and finished eighth overall as a team. Leading the Chargers was sophomore Hermann Gavilan who tied for fifth place. Gavilan carded 76 (+4) in the first round and completed the second round with 71 (-1), ending with an overall score of 147 (+3).
Following Gavilan was a new face to the blue and gold, Alexander Mitrovich, who came in 27th overall. Mitrovich finished 75(+3) in the first round and 83 (+11) in the second. Tied for 34th place was Frank Ferru Jr., who finished with a combined score of 163 (+19). Ferru carded 81 (+9) in the first round and finished the second day with 82 (+10).
Finishing in 38th and 39th overall was Nick Gladden and Aaron Browning, respectively. Gladden had a combined score of 182 (+38) while Browning was right behind him, finishing at 185 (+41). As a team, the Chargers shot 648 (+72), going +33 in the first round and +39 in the second.
Defending the Northeast-10 Conference title, the women’s golf team competed in a 5,803-yard Par 72 course as one of eight teams attending. New Haven finished in fourth place with Wynter Flores leading the team.
Flores, who finished runner-up in the conference last year, said she is motivated to get the individual title in this, her last year as a graduate student. Flores said more importantly, she wants to help the team win back-to-back championships.
“We were voted third in the conference to win last year, no one saw us coming or expected us to win,” said Flores. “We are hungry for that win, we can do it again.”
In both rounds, Flores carded 78 (+6) putting her combined score at 156 (+12). She finished fifth overall and 11 shots behind the lead. Behind Flores was senior Erin Earl who finished with a tie in tenth place. In the first round, Earl carded 81 (+9) and finished the second round with a score of 83 (+11) to shoot a combined score of 164 (+20).
Sophia Silva and Isabella Thomas tied for 22nd overall, both with a combined shooting of 173 (+29). Silva shot 86 (+14), 87 (+15) while Thomas shot 88(+16), 85 (+13). Finishing 27th overall was junior Danielle Jastrab who shot a total of 181 (+37) during the two days. The team shot a combined 666 (+90), with a score of +45 in both rounds.
The Chargers will be back in action for the Franklin Pierce Invitational at the Bretwood Golf Course in Keene, New Hampshire. The first round begins on Monday. For more information, visit NewHavenChargers.com.
