At the 2006 America East Golf Championship in Bolton, Mass., the Bearcats were finally brought back to reality. Binghamton failed to win its third straight tournament as the team shot a dismal two-day total of 639 to place second at The International golf course. Hartford shot a 625 to win the conference title, while Boston finished last with a score of 678.

While Binghamton students were basking in the sun earlier this week, the Bearcats were tested by overwhelmingly brutal weather conditions for the second consecutive tournament. With temperatures dropping to 40 degrees and rain pouring down from the relentless New England skies, the scores were appropriately high.

“It was quite a test of golf,” said head coach Nick Lasky. “If you didn’t hit the fairway, you would be severely penalized.”

Lasky added that the breaks were not going the Bearcats’ way at The International, but no air has been let out of the team’s balloon. Besides, this year has been about a lot more than luck.

“We’ve worked incredibly hard this entire season, and it’s great to see it pay off,” Lasky said, alluding to his team’s success the past few weeks. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

“It would have been nice to win the America East championship, but we are still riding on a high from the previous two tournaments,” said junior Jeff Wolniewicz, who shot 79-80=159 to place fourth overall. “I was disappointed because I felt good about my game and swing, but the conditions were not agreeable, to say the least.”

“It was a disappointment, but we have to look ahead to Lake Nona,” said sophomore Zach Vinal, who shot 79-83=162 to tie teammates Aaron Ungvarsky and Kevin Crawford for seventh place among the small field of 15 players.

Lake Nona, where the NCAA Eastern Regional will take place, is what is ultimately on the Bearcats’ minds. They made a huge statement by winning two of their last three tournaments, but now can only sit and wait. On Monday, the selection committee will announce the top three District 1 teams.

Last year, during the selection process, the Bearcats had their fingers crossed after an unsatisfactory spring season, but came away empty handed. This year, despite finishing second at the America East Championship, the Binghamton golf team expects nothing less than what it has earned — a bid to the NCAA Eastern Regional.