Following a fourth-place finish at the Southern Invitational two weeks ago, Binghamton finished tied for 13th place at the Rutherford Intercollegiate — concluding the three-round weekend with a score of 922/70 over par.

“The weather conditions were brutal,” said Binghamton head coach Bernie Herceg. “The real feel at tee-off time was about 35-40 degrees. The wind was howling and gusting up to 35-40 miles per hour at times. It was not easy, but the guys hung in there as best as they could.”

Saturday’s action consisted of two separate rounds. Following the first round, the Bearcats found themselves in last place after shooting 314/30 over par. Fifth-year Evan Sitts, led the way for BU in the first round — shooting a 76/5 over par. Sophomores Sean Shen and Harrison Blech both shot a 79/8 over par. After sophomore Brandon Conner recorded a score of a 36/even par front nine, but he could not match his pace on the back nine — finishing his round with an 80/9 over par. Ultimately, junior Ryan Millevoi’s score of 82/11 over par was dropped due to being the highest of the Bearcats’ scores.

“The elements definitely got to us,” Herceg said. “It was affecting chip shots, it was affecting putts — it was even blowing putts left to right or right to left. We did not putt exceptionally well and we did not chip exceptionally well.”

Binghamton continued to struggle in their second event of the day as the team posted the worst team score for the round with a 308/24 over par. Sitts, again, posted the best round for BU with a 72/1 over par. Sitts’ performance on Saturday put him in a tie for 18th place in the individual rankings. Shen and Blech finished their round with the same score — 78/7 over par. Millevoi shot an 80/9 over par and Conner’s 81/10 over par score was dropped. Heading into the final round, the Bearcats were in last place by nine strokes.

“[Shen] hung in there and battled the elements the first two rounds,” Herceg said. “I think he thought he was going to score a little bit better, but again, just like the rest of the team, I think we’re lacking a little bit in the scoring area.”

On Sunday, the Bearcats put together their best round of the event. The team finished the round with a score of 300/16 over par. Sitts, once again, led the way for BU and replicated his round-two score of 72/1 over par. This resulted in him gaining three spots on the individual leaderboard — finishing tied for 15th. This is Sitts’ second consecutive top 20th finish as he placed tied for 12th at the Southern Invitational two weeks ago.

“Especially in the spring, [Sitts] has been a rock for us,” Herceg said. “We’ve got a couple more tournaments to see him compete and I’m really pulling for him … I really want him to get a win.”

Shen and Blech once again shot the same score — 76/5 over par. They held the same place on the individual rankings at the conclusion of the weekend — both finishing tied for 63rd. Conner also shot a 76/5 over par on Sunday, good for a tied-for 71st finish. Lastly, Millevoi’s Sunday round was dropped from BU’s score after shooting an 82/11 over par. Milleovi ended his weekend in 76th place.

“If we can just eliminate a few of the mistakes, it’s going to make a difference as we head into conferences,” Herceg said. “[Blech] had a great backside. He really hit some quality shots down the stretch, it was great to see.”

Binghamton finished their weekend with a score of 922/70 over par. Following the first round, BU wasn’t able to move out of last place, as the team finished in a tie for last. Penn State won the tournament, finished in first place with a score of 858/6 over par.

“We usually have never done back-to-back tournaments, but in a way, I think it’s great because everybody got a chance to compete this weekend,” Herceg said. “I’m really excited to see our freshman Jackson Vesper perform this week.”

The Bearcats will look to rebound immediately as they will compete in the Wildcat Spring Invitational from Monday, April 15 to Tuesday, April 16. Tee times are to be determined at the LuLu Country Club in Glenside, Pennsylvania.