Strong first and third rounds propelled William and Mary to a seventh-place finish in the 15-team River Run Collegiate on Sept. 23-24 in Davidson, North Carolina, moving up three places in the final round.
The team posted its best cumulative score (294, +6) in the first round, led by senior Ben Morris’ 2-under 70 and junior Otto Voettiner’s 1-under 71. Both Morris’ and Voettiner’s scores were their third of the year at or below par.
The team’s overall score increased in the second round by nine strokes (303, +15), but freshman Jimmy Taylor made his first appearance in the scoring lineup and put up an even par 72 to put him at +3 for the event after an opening round 75. This effort also earned him a tie for 20th place after day two of the tournament.
Morris stumbled slightly on day two with a five-over par 77 to tie Taylor at +3 and Voettiner shot an 81 that dropped him back to a tie for 46th place. Junior Trevor Hecht improved on his opening round 78 with a 73 to move up to a tie for 41st and sophomore Matthew Feinstein rounded out the lineup in a tie for 83rd with a pair of 81s. The team ranked 10th after the second day with a 597 (+21).
The squad regained some momentum on the final day of the event, shooting 296 (+8) to seventh place with a final score of + 29 (893). Morris regained his flow and fired a 1-over 73 to end up tied at 17th with a 4-over 220. Taylor and Hecht also posted solid rounds to help the team improve its position, earning 2-over 74s. Taylor finished in solo 20th place with a 221 (+5) and Hecht posted a 225 (+9) to capture a tie for 32nd. Voettiner shot 75 on the final day to end up tied for 39th, but had the fourth-most birdies (12) in the tournament.
The team will return to action Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio for the Firestone Intercollegiate.
