The St. Thomas Aquinas College Golf team returns to the links for the Fall 2021 portion of their schedule, as the program looks to once again advance to the NCAA Division II National Championship, following a very successful spring campaign.
As one of only a handful of programs able to compete last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, St. Thomas Aquinas took full advantage of their opportunities, as GCAA East Region Coach of the Year Coach Stephen Ferrara led his team to four top-five finishes during regular season play, including victories in the Le Moyne College Mike Bello Invitational, the College of Saint Rose Invitational and the Wykagyl Shootout against Concordia College.
In the postseason, St. Thomas Aquinas posted a second place finish in the NCAA Division II East/Atlantic Super Regional Championship, which automatically qualified the Spartans to participate in the NCAA Division II National Championship, the program's eighth appearance as a team (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021) and ninth overall (2015 Niklas Koerner - Individual Player).
STAC's success on the links in the spring also translated into several Spartans being recognized by the Golf Coaches Association of America with Division II Ping All-Region selections earlier this summer, as golfers Shkelqim Kukaj, Joseph Tammaro, Sean Trapp, Norman Viron and Jake Yarmolowitz were named to the East Region Team.
The Spartans return 3 golfers from the Spring 2021 season, as Joe Tammaro, Norman Viron and Jake Yarmolowitz will make up the core returning this fall.
A good mix of freshmen and sophomores in; Niall Griffin (Fr./Wexford, England), Donte Groppuso (So./Kingston, N.Y.), Tanner Little (Fr./Stockton, N.J.), Mario Mojarro Monge (Fr./Madrid, Spain) and Nolan Skaggs (Fr./Plymouth, Mass.) make their way to Sparkill in the hopes of adding their talents into the championship caliber field of players already on the roster.
Stephen Ferrara returns for his 17th season as Head Coach of the Spartans, while former STAC golfers and current Assistant Coach Patrick Schwarze also rejoins Ferrara for the new season.
St. Thomas Aquinas College opens their 2021-2022 season on Sunday, September 12 at the Franklin Pierce University Fall Invitational. The 2-day event will be held at the Keene Country Club in Keene, New Hampshire.