The Middlebury men's golf team claimed the team title while hosting the 42nd Annual Duke Nelson Invitational, posting a winning two-day score of 594. Skidmore shot a 596 to claim the runner-up spot, while Amherst and Tufts tied for third with identical totals of 603.
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Location: Ralph Myhre Golf Course (Middlebury, Vt.)
• Host School: Middlebury
• Par: 71
• Yardage: 6,530 yards
• Teams Competing: 20
• Place: First

HIGHLIGHTS

• Jack Mark excelled in his collegiate debut. The Panther carded a 145 (72-73) to finish in third place, collecting a pair of birdies during each round.
• Akash Agarwal and Jake Forrest posted matching 150s. Agarwal fired a 76 on day one and bettered his score by two strokes during Sunday's round, posting two birdies each day. Forrest recorded a 73 on the second day that was highlighted by two scores under par. 
• Sharing 21st was Logan Wang. The junior shot rounds of 74 and 79 for a two-day total of 153 strokes.
• Tucker Gongaware completed the Middlebury contingent, rising a team-best 23 slots in the final round with a 75 to slide in a share of 36th. The Panther shot a155 over the 36-hole event.

NOTES

• The Panther "A" team logged 18 birdies over the weekend, with 11 coming on Sunday. Gongaware led the charge with six, while Mark and Agarwal each had four.
• Forrest's two-day effort was a career low in a Panther uniform.
• Evan Fulgieri paced Middlebury's second lineup, firing a pair of 77s to finish in a tie for 27th. The Panther concluded the opening round strongly, tallying four birdies during a seven-hole stretch on the back nine.
• Middlebury's victory was its first in the event since the 2013 team posted a victorious total of 596 strokes.
• Duke Nelson graduated from Middlebury in 1932 and served as a naval officer in World War II. When Duke returned to his alma mater, he was the head football, men's ice hockey and men's golf coach, as well as an assistant athletic director. He became the athletic director in 1956 and held that role until retirement in 1969. Following his death in 1989, late athletic director Russ Reilly named the invitational in Duke's honor.

The Panthers return to the course next weekend at the Williams Fall Invitational. The two-day tournament begins on Saturday at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Massachusetts.