Affinito Named E8 Rookie of the Year, Pritchard also honored by E8
Rochester, NY —The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2019-20 Men's Golf All-Conference awards. Senior Colin McGaugh of St. John Fisher was named Player of the Year, while first-year Connor Affinito (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) of Sage was named Rookie of the Year, and Dave Clausen and Brian Marcantonio of Utica College were named the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
Sage's junior co-captain Blake Pritchard (Malone, NY/Franklin Academy) earned a selection to the All-League Second Team, while also earning a selection as a member of the Sportsman of the Year Team. While competing at the league's fall championship, Pritchard picked up an impressive tie for seventh place with his two-day total of 160 (83-77).
St. John Fisher led the way with four all-conference selections, while Utica was right behind with three. The awards were based on results from the 2019-20 Empire 8 Championship, which spans the course of the fall and spring semesters. The fall portion of the championship took place on Oct. 5-6, while the spring rounds were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No team champion was awarded for the 2019-20 season.
McGaugh rallied to shoot a 74 in the second round of the fall tournament to card a 150 for the two-day event, defeating Oswego's Erik Schleicher by one stroke. Utica's Josh Kientz and Joe Miga, along with Nazareth's Jake Costa, the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, rounded out the top-five finishers to earn All-Empire 8 first team honors. Brandon Young of Utica, Blake Pritchard of Sage and a trio of Cardinals, Andrew Card, Michael Dugan and Peter Francomano garnered All-Empire 8 second team honors.
Affinito carded the lowest score by a first-year student-athlete over the two-day tournament at 167 (84-83). Clausen and Marcantonio helped guide Utica to a seven-shot lead over St. John Fisher after the fall event.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2019-20 Men's Golf Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
2019-20 Empire 8 Men's Golf Award Winners
Player of the Year: Colin McGaugh, Sr., St. John Fisher
Rookie of the Year: Connor Affinito, Fr., Sage
Coaching Staff of the Year: Utica, led by head coaches Dave Clausen and Brian Marcantonio
Empire 8 First Team
Colin McGaugh, Sr., St. John Fisher – 150
Erik Schleicher, Sr., SUNY Oswego – 151
Josh Kientz, Jr., Utica – 155
Jake Costa, So., Nazareth – 155
Joe Miga, So., Utica - 157
Empire 8 Second Team
Brandon Young, Jr., Utica – 159
Blake Pritchard, Jr., Sage – 160
Andrew Card, Sr., St. John Fisher – 160
Michael Dugan, Sr., St. John Fisher – 161
Peter Francomano, Sr., St. John Fisher – 161
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Derek Countryman, Fr., Elmira
Jake Costa, So., Nazareth
Daniel Mort, Sr., SUNY Oswego
Blake Pritchard, Jr., Sage
Deion Shepherd, Sr., St. John Fisher
Mason Munger, Sr., Utica
