The Middlebury men’s golf team begins the fall portion of its schedule on September 9 when it hosts the 39th Annual Duke Nelson Invitational. Last spring, the Panthers claimed the program’s 10th NESCAC title and capped the year tied for 28th place at the NCAA Championships.

Colin McCaigue and Charlie Schulman, along with Paul Fine-Lease and Derek Ban, look to return to the lineup after seeing action a season ago.

McCaigue is a three-time All-NESCAC Second Team selection, earning the honor last spring by tying for medalist honors with a three-over par score of 109 (73-36) at the league’s 27-hole championship. He also posted top-10 efforts at the NEIGA Championship (sixth), firing a 71 in the opening round, and recorded a season-low round of 69 on day one at the Dr. Tim Brown Invitational (10th). 

Schulman earned a pair of top-25 finishes last year, tallying an 11th-place scorecard of 77 at the Williams Spring Invitational. He fired a score of 116 (78-38) to tie for 22nd at the NESCAC Championship. 

Fine-Lease and Ban each saw action in tournaments last year. Fine-Lease recorded a two-day total of 152 (75-77) to open the fall at the Duke Nelson Invitational. He tallied a pair of 80s to finish tied for 16th at the Ekwanok Sap Bucket Challenge and in a tie for 24th in the spring at Williams. Ban competed in a pair of tournaments last season for the Panthers, tying for 54th at the Dartmouth Invitational. 

Head coach Justin Kumpulanian enters his initial season with Middlebury and welcomes three first-year players to the program. He will begin his duties guiding the Panthers on January 8, 2024. Women’s head golf coach Tim Walko will serve as the interim leader for the men’s team until that time, while assistant coach Paul Politano returns to the links for another year.