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Eagles putting up impressive numbers

November 9, 2004

Copyright ? 2004 Republican-American

They've just put the golf clubs away at Post University, but not before they turned those steel and carbon fiber sticks into magic wands. Don't snortle at the notion. In just their second year of operation, Post University can actually sit back and brag that they have a burgeoning golf power up on Country Club Road.

No, seriously.

The Eagles finished the fall season ranked No. 3 in the northeast region for NCAA Division II schools, and that puts them smack dab in the middle of the hunt for a berth in the regional tournament next spring.

Post University has positioned itself as a viable alternative for area high school golfers who can play the game, but for whom the journey south to chase a little white ball and an education is something of a stretch.

There are four local men on the team, led by Terryville's Dave Croteau and Waterbury's Tom Dorso, the sharpest of the Eagles' shooters. There is also Jeffrey Adams, of Waterbury, a Sacred Heart grad, and Mike Cavallo, of Watertown, and St. Margaret's-McTernan. The secret weapon is Calum Malcolm, from Dunfermline, Scotland -- yes, a Scotsman at PU -- and the team is rounded out by Adam Belleville of Ludlow, Mass.

So, do we really take these guys seriously? Can a golf team from Post University really make a Division II splash? Check out these fall results: third at the St. Aquinas Invite, with Croteau finishing second; second at the Eagle Shootout, to the University of New Haven, with Dorso edging Torrington's Brent Silano by two strokes for medalist honors; fourth at the ECAC Div II championship in Syracuse, with Croteau tied for third; first at the Post Invitational, with Dorso and Croteau finishing 1-2; first at the one-day Saint Rose Invitational, with Dorso grabbing third; and fifth at the St. Thomas Aquinas Fall Preview.

Golfstat, which calls itself the official source of college golf on the Internet, ranks Post University 123rd in the nation, out of 180 Division II schools. That may not knock you off your barcalounger, but it isn't bad for a school still in its golfing infancy.

"The fall season has been a litmus test for us," said coach Pete Stevens. "We played an expanded tournament schedule, against the most competitive teams in our geographic region. You can go undefeated in a weak conference, and yet still get slaughtered by other teams in your region. We needed a good test to see where our program stands against other schools."

And what does Stevens think now?

"We can compete against any Division II school in the nation," he said.

Stevens and the Post golfers will have the chance to prove that next spring. In March they will compete in a Division I tournament hosted by Eastern Carolina University, followed by the Barton Invitational, in North Carolina, and then another D-II tourney in Maryland, hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas.

Post hosts the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference in 2005, at the school's home course of Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, and then, who knows, could the NCAA Division II regionals be all that far behind?

Joe Palladino is a Republican-American staff writer. He can be e-mailed at jpalladino@rep-am.com.