In their third tournament of the year, the Seton Hall men's golf team finished eighth at the Whiting-Turner Towson Invitational.
The Pirates, who were looking to defend their team title from last year, struggled on the first day, leaving them in the middle of the 22 team field.
William & Mary came out on top, running away with the tournament on the first day. The school finished an astounding 25 strokes better than second place Loyola.
Overall, the Pirates were able to battle back in the final two rounds to climb three spots up the leaderboard. Freshman Corey Wilson led the team, finishing the tournament with a 16-over-par. Sophomore transfer, J.T. Harper finished one stroke behind Wilson, ending up tied for thirtieth.
"Everyone played well at times and had some stretches of good golf," head coach Clay White said. "We're really young, but we're making progress so it's encouraging to see. We're heading in the right direction."
Two familiar faces were back in the lineup this past weekend; juniors Gary Dunne and Kamaal Khatumal. Returning from injury, Dunne posted a 20-over-par, while Khatumal shot 32-over-par for the tournament.
Dunne was the only Pirate to have experience at this tournament, finishing 1-over-par last year.
Halfway through the season the Pirates have struggled to find consistency, but much of that can be attributed to their youth just trying to find their footing. Their lineup consists of two freshman, one sophomore, and two upperclassmen.
"Our team has made a lot of small achievements," White said.
While freshmen Cory Wilson and David Cha are still new to the team, they have been able to contribute to their team. Wilson and Cha are looked at as the future of the team as they continue to put together steady performances that show a lot of potential.
According to Coach White, while they may be putting together solid rounds, there is an even brighter future for the two freshmen.
This team has made some strides from the beginning of the season, and it's encouraging to Coach White.
"We haven't played our best golf yet," White said.
The Pirates will be back in action next weekend, April 13-14 at the Princeton Invitational in Springfield, N.J.
Kenny Lenoci can be reached at Kenneth.lenoci@student.shu.edu.
