Gilbert and Marauders Ready to Defend Crowns

Saturday, October 18

Hershey, PA

Millersville University

PSAC Championships

Gilbert and Marauders Ready to Defend Crowns

10/16/2014 1:44:00 PM | Men's Golf

PSAC Championships Site

Hershey, Pa. - When Conor Gilbert and the Millersville men's golf team tee it up Saturday at the PSAC Championships, there will be little extra pressure. One year ago, the Marauders won their first conference championship since 2003 and Gilbert became the program's first medalist since 2004. The time to defend those titles has arrived.

"There's definitely some added pressure to us and me individually too," said Gilbert. "I think some teams in the PSAC were surprised by our win and my win individually. We kind of surprised everybody. They are definitely going to come after us."

While the Marauders certainly have the talent to repeat, Gilbert, the team's only senior, and junior Robby Rowe are the only players in the lineup that played in last year's event. Replacing a veteran trio of Kevin Davis, Jonathon Heile and Robert Coyne is no small task, but the early returns on young players like Rodney Anders, Brett Howey and Connor Sheehan have been positive.

Anders bided his time behind a strong core of golfers the last two years, and now firmly entrenched in the top five, Anders has produced a pair of top-25 finishes in four events. His 13-over-par, 25th-place finish in the 54-hole Glade Springs Intercollegiate was a fine showing of his talent. Howey cracked the top-28 in his first three events, shooting seven sub-80 rounds to start the season.

"Rodney knows what he is capable of," said Gilbert. "We've all known that he has this talent and feel about him. His track record at Hershey East is good and we have full faith in him. We have full faith in the freshmen too."

When breaking young players into the lineup, inconsistency is to be expected. The Marauders were outstanding at the Glade Springs Intercollegiate, firing two sub-300 rounds and placing third in a loaded field. They were also sharp at the Mercyhurst Invitational, shooting the tournament's lowest team score in the second round to finish as the runner-up. It's most recent event--the Challenge at Mystic Rock-was a perfect example of that inconsistency. The team slipped from third place into seventh after struggling in the final round. Gilbert, Rowe and longtime head coach Scott Vandegrift have preached grinding out the bad holes and the bad rounds to the young players.

Gilbert and Rowe fully understand what it takes to compete at the PSAC Championships. Gilbert won the tournament at Hershey Links last season with a 36-hole score of 1-under-par. Rowe actually led the tournament after 18 holes and finished in third place. Rowe has been the Marauders' rock this fall, posting a brilliant 74.4 scoring average placing 11th or better in all four tournaments.

The change of venue from Hershey Links to Hershey Country Club East Course could also favor the Marauders. Rowe and Gilbert are both Lancaster County natives and have played the course plenty throughout their amateur careers. Just two months ago, Rowe shot a 1-under-par 70 on the course to win the prestigious Jake Gittlen Memorial Golf Tournament. The East Course hosted the NCAA Division II Championships in the spring of 2013.

"There is a huge difference between the courses," said Gilbert. "Robby and I are very familiar with it growing up in the area. It is long but the biggest thing is having the mindset that you can still get it but be smart about it. You have to minimize the damages in some areas. You have to play strategic golf."

Millersville's most significant challenges will likely come from California (Pa.) and Indiana (Pa.). The Vulcans recently won the Challenge at Mystic Rock and have finished no lower than third in the same four tournaments in which Millersville has played. IUP has seen the Marauders only once, and that was in the Glade Springs Intercollegiate. The Crimson Hawks won that event by two shots over California and 13 shots over Millersville.

Both the men and women's championships are being hosted at the East Course. The men tee off on hole No. 10 Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. and start on the first hole Sunday at 10:30 a.m.