LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL – The Iona University men's golf team secured its eighth Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship in program history, posting a 54-hole team score of 4-over par to edge second-place Sacred Heart by four strokes. This is the Gaels first title since the 2020-21 season.
The Maroon & Gold showed consistency across all three rounds, opening the championship with a 1-over par performance before delivering their best round of the tournament in round two at 2-under par. Entering the final round with momentum, Iona battled neck-and-neck with Sacred Heart throughout the day holding on down the stretch for the win. The rest of the field was followed by Siena in third, Fairfield, Mount St. Mary's, Manhattan, Niagara, Merrimack, Rider, Saint Peter's, and Canisius.
Leading the way for the Gaels was
Connor Henderson, who finished as the team's top performer with a solo fourth-place finish after carding an even-par total across the three-day event.
Sean Richards and freshman
Jennings Oelke each turned in strong performances, tying for sixth place at 1-over par.
Richards highlighted the final round for Iona, firing a 1-under 71 to help secure the victory. Fairfield's Rasmus Ditzinger won the individual title at 4-under par two strokes over two student athletes from Siena.
Ryan Slevcove added to the Gaels' depth with a solo 11th-place finish at 5-over par, marking the fourth Iona golfer to place inside the top 15.
Sahir Balyan rounded out the lineup with a solo 26th-place finish. Richards, Henderson, and Oelke made the MAAC Men's Golf All-Championship team.
With the win, Iona claims its eighth MAAC title and earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, continuing a strong tradition of success for the program. The Gaels will learn their NCAA Regional destination on Wednesday, May 6, during the NCAA Selection Show at 2:00 PM, which will be broadcast on the Golf Channel. The Regional will start on Monday, May 18th.
