Dunn paces MCLA at NAC Championships

NAC Championship Final Results

Rockport, ME- Trailblazer senior Taylor Dunn shot a sizzling three over par 73 in the final round of the NAC Championships, good enough for a fifth place finish.  Husson won their eighth straight team championship, while Cameron Daley of Salem State took home the individual crown.

Entering Sunday with a 12-stroke lead, Husson University posted a 311 in the second round of the 2013 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championships at Samoset Resort, narrowly edging hard charging Salem State University for the Eagles' eighth conference championship in as many years. Husson posted a 36-hole total of 608, giving the Eagles five strokes on the Vikings at 613.

Salem State's Daley (Duxbury, Mass.) shot 73 on Sunday for a two-round total of 145 to capture the individualist medal honors in the field of 35. He led his team to a Sunday low-round of 304. Husson's Lance Bernier (Lincoln, Maine) finished second with a 149, followed by Maine Maritime's Keenan Kalthoff (Fallbrook, Calif.) and Castleton's Zac Temple (Hartland, Vt.) with scores of 153. Temple earned NAC Rookie of the Year honors. Taylor Dunn (Williamstown, Mass.) from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Husson's Bill Hutchins (Hampden, Maine) rounded out the top five with 154 strokes each. Dunn improved by eight strokes on Sunday.

The Vikings led Husson on the scoreboard until the last group of golfers came back to the clubhouse. Playing in the fifth position on Sunday, the Eagles' Greg Martin (Ellsworth, Maine) played the role of savior for Husson, finding the final hole on his 71^st stroke of the day. Martin, who finished seventh overall, entered Sunday with an 84 on his card in 22^nd place. When the dust settled, he stood seventh after shooting 22 pars, two birdies and an eagle on the weekend.

Salem State placed four golfers in the top 10. In addition to the medalist, Daley, Craig Farley (Bradford, Mass.) and Tom Grant (Mansfield, Mass.) tied for eighth with two round totals of 156. Teammate Kevin Dyer (Beverly, Mass.) was a stroke and place behind.

Paced by Kalthoff's Sunday 73, host Maine Maritime Academy finished third overall. The Mariners were 30 strokes behind Salem State, and edged fourth place Castleton by three strokes. Maine-Farmington was 10-strokes behind the Spartans at 656, followed by MCLA and Johnson State, in sixth and seventh places, respectively.

Maine Maritime churned out consistent scoring down the lineup from Kalthoff. Dan Mackenzie (Millinocket, Maine) shaved a shot from Saturday to finish with a 159, in a four-way tie for 11^th. Mariners occupied 19^th through 22^nd places with Kevin Pepin (Candia, N.H.) shooting 165, Nathan Roop (Gorham, Maine) shooting 166 and Thomas Beal (Jonesport, Maine) shooting 169.

Castleton placed three golfers in the field's top 20. Temple led the Spartans charge. Daniel Hogan (Burlington, Vt.) carded 159 to tie for 11^th, while Justin Del Bianco (Rutland, Vt.) posted a 165 for 19^th place overall. Jack Ralbovsky (Bennington, Vt.) rounded out Castleton's scoring four with a 169, earning 22^nd place.

Playing the final round of his career, Maine-Farmington's David Berthiaume (Allenstown, N.H.) carded a career-low 78 to finish in the four-way logjam at 11^th on the leaderboard. Farmington finished fifth overall with three golfers in the top 20. Simon Rollins (South China, Maine) was 17^th with a 36-hole score of 162. Joe Messerman (Brunswick, Maine) came in at 164 for 18^th place.

Husson, by virtue of its championship, earns the NAC automatic qualifier, and will represent the conference in the 2014 NCAA Division III National Championships.