April 10, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After taking an 11-day layoff from competition, the Navy golf team will be back in action this weekend when it takes part in the 15-team River Landing Intercollegiate played at the par 72, 7,112-yard River Landing Golf Course in Wallace, N.C. The 54-hole, three-day event is slated to tee-off on Friday at 7:30 am on the 1st and 10th holes and features some of the top-tier programs in the country: No. 7 Florida State, No. 16 Duke, No. 22 Wake Forest, No. 31 North Carolina, No. 34 NC State, Memphis, Virginia, East Carolina, Maryland, Tulsa, Houston, Kansas, Liberty, Rice and Navy.

The Midshipmen have turned in a pair of top-10 finishes in both of the tournaments in which they've played this spring. After spending a week in California over spring break, the Mids finished third at the daylight-shortened George Washington Invitational where Navy produced a 29-over par 749 among 20 teams. The following week, Navy placed ninth among 19 teams at the Lacrosse Homes Collegiate Invitational where it posted a 48-over par 624.

Navy has faced faced an onslaught of injuries this spring, opening the door for some of the Mids' younger players to break through, including freshmen Josh Ziska (Camarillo, Calif.) and Ben Hayes (Carmichael, Calif.). Ziska placed 40th at the George Washington Invitational with a 14-over par 194. Among the 6.5 rounds (3 events) he has participated in between the fall and spring seasons, he owns a 78.8 stroke average. Hayes, meanwhile, has competed in two tournaments this season, including the George Washington Invitational where he turned in the Mids' second-lowest score with an 11-over par 191, finishing 22nd. On the year, he owns a 76.7 stroke average.

While new faces have donned blue and gold uniforms on the links this spring, head coach Pat Owen has relied upon the senior leadership of team captain Chris Renninger (Darnestown, Md.) and Erich Schoen (Sylvania, Ohio). The golfers own the team's two lowest averages, including Schoen who heads into the weekend with a75.7 average over seven events and 16.5 rounds. He has finished among the top 10 twice, including the George Washington Invitational where he shot a 4-under par 68 in the second round en route to a ninth-place finish. Renninger has also played in seven events this year and own a 76.4 stroke average. With three top-20 finishes, Renninger is looking to build off of his 19th-place mark of 9-over par 153 at the Lacrosse Homes Collegiate Invitational two weeks ago in Grasonville, Md.

The final member of this weekend's competition group is junior John Montemayor (Montclair, Va.), who has not competed in either tournament this spring. He did, however, play in two tournaments in the fall where he produced a 78.4 stroke average. His strongest performance was a 27th-place finish at the Navy Fall Invitational where he turned in a 9-over par 151.