The Penn men's golf team failed to defend its title this past weekend at the Army Mulekicker Classic at the West Point Golf Course in West Point, N.Y. Finishing third with a team score of 616, the Quakers were six shots behind eventual champions Connecticut. "The conditions were pretty poor," Penn coach Francis Vaughn said. "It was very misty, and the winds were blowing at 15 to 20 miles per hour." Playing in what can only be described as far from optimal golf weather, Penn nevertheless played fairly well to stay near the top of the field. Leading the way for the Quakers was junior Rob Hunt, who has played very well of late. Posting scores of 77-74, he led the team with a combined score of 151 and tied for fourth place overall, finishing nine strokes behind tournament medalist Mike Vandenberg from Loyola College. Behind Hunt was sophomore Kyle Moran, who placed eighth overall. Moran was a total of three strokes behind Hunt, posting rounds of 76 and 78. Following Moran were junior Rob Goldfaden, who shot 73-84, finishing tied for 18th overall, sophomore Kieran Doherty, who shot 86-76, and sophomore Todd Golditch, who shot 81 on consecutive days. Both Doherty and Golditch finished tied for 43rd. The Quakers also faced a number of Ivy rivals in a preview of what may be to come in this spring's Ivy Championships. Finishing fourth, just five strokes behind Penn, was Columbia. The Lions finished the weekend with a score of 621. In addition, Penn defeated Harvard by 18 strokes and Dartmouth by 39 strokes. These results certainly bode well for Penn's Ivy future. Penn looks to rebound on its disappointing fall season next weekend as it travels to Lehigh for the Lehigh Invitational. As two-time defending champion, Vaughn heads back to an event that he has yet to lose as Penn skipper. Vaughn will take a team of Hunt, Moran, Goldfaden, Doherty and Brian Owens to try to find the magic that Penn golf has lost between last spring and this fall.
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