The Binghamton golf team convincingly won its first tournament of year, and it couldn’t have come at a more crucial time.

With astounding scores of 288-292=580, the Bearcats won the New England Championship at the Triggs Memorial Golf Course in Providence, R.I., last week. In a wire-to-wire fashion, they blew out opposing District 1 teams such as Rhode Island (587), Hartford (596), Yale (597) and Army (605), who placed second through fifth respectively.

With the end of the season fast approaching, it is imperative that Binghamton finish strong. The Bearcats were ranked third in their district going into the New England Championship, but after a dominating performance this past weekend, their ranking will likely improve. Binghamton needs to place at least third in its district in order to qualify for NCAA Eastern Regionals.

The entire team played phenomenally. All five starters for the Bearcats placed in the top 20 and, more impressively, three ranked among the top 10.

Junior Jeff Wolniewicz, who was named America East Player of the Week, shot dazzling scores of 68 and 73 to tie for first place individually among a field of 80 golfers. His impressive round of 68 was highlighted by four birdies, but Wolniewicz thinks it was more important that the round was bogey-free.

“I moved to a different level of ball-striking this weekend,” Wolniewicz said. He credited his success to adding significant distance to his shots by refining his swing over the winter and sticking to a workout regimen.

“His play was spectacular this weekend,” said coach Nick Lasky. “His work ethic has been there all along, and it’s nice to see it pay off.”

“Physical fitness means a lot in golf,” Wolniewicz said. “The competition is getting stronger.”

The team has thus worked hard to be in position to win down the stretch.

Sophomore Zach Vinal placed fifth overall with supporting scores of 74 and 71. Vinal’s final round included five birdies, but his 40-foot putt for par on hole 7 was his ticket to a solid second round.

“The putt had seven feet of break in it … it was one of the best putts of my life,” Vinal said. Like Wolniewicz, Vinal put hard work into his game prior to the tournament.

“I took a lesson on Tuesday, and it put a lot of confidence in my game,” Vinal said.

With a pair of 73’s, Junior Aaron Ungvarsky placed eighth. Whether it was a lucky bounce or straight down the middle, Ungvarsky could not miss a fairway this past weekend and “felt as though the fairways were lined with guard rails.”

Senior captain Kevin Crawford also played relatively error-free rounds of 74-75 to place 17th. He tied teammate Matt Mattingly, who shot 73-76.

“I hit the ball exceptionally well off the tee,” Crawford said.

Coach Lasky believes his team has secured a bid to NCAA regionals.

“We needed to make a statement to remove any doubt in the committee, and this victory was that statement,” he said.

The golf team does not play until next weekend at the Rhode Island Invitational, but BU will still look to follow up its victory with a strong performance. Things are finally clicking for the Bearcats, who look to finish the season on high note.

“It’s scary to think what we can do if we make it to regionals,” Ungvarsky said.

WHO SAYS A BEAT WRITER CAN’T HAVE AN INFLUENCE ON THE TEAM HE COVERS?

Ben Schiller labeled golfer Jeff Wolniewicz as “off the radar” in his last article, and the inflammatory remark invigorated Frosh, who placed first at the New England Championship. Wolniewicz told Schiller: “I have to say, you were my inspiration this weekend.”