VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton golf team is set to begin its 2024-25 season this weekend by competing at the Alex Lagowitz Memorial from Saturday through Sunday at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y.
 
The Bearcats will compete against 14 teams, including hosts Colgate, at the 54-hole tournament. The first 36 holes will be played on Saturday at the par-72 course, while the final 18 will take place on Sunday.
 
“Our team is looking forward to our first event at Colgate,” said Head Coach Bernie Herceg, who enters his 17th season with the program. “Seven Oaks is a great course and will challenge you throughout all 18 holes. Our guys will have some experience there and they’ve been working hard to be prepared to produce some solid scores. We are excited to compete against a good field.”
 
Binghamton enters the season with an experienced roster, as seven of its eight golfers from the prior year returning to the team. Harrison Blech, Shawn Colella, Brandon Conner, Tynan Jones, Ryan Millevoi, Sean Shen and Jackson Vesper will be joined by one newcomer in freshman Lucas Brittain, who hails from London, England.
 
In its first season competing as a member of the Northeast Conference, the Bearcats put up four top five finishes. Their best finish came at their home event, the Matthews Auto Collegiate Golf Invitational, where the team finished tied for second at 290+283 = 573/3-under par. Binghamton’s score of 283/5-under par in the final round of the competition is tied for the fourth lowest score relative to par in program history, while their overall score is their third-lowest all-time through 36 holes. The team ultimately finished fifth at its first NEC Men’s Golf Championship back in April.
 
Conner was one of two golfers to play in all of Binghamton’s 27 rounds of competition in 2023-24. His most notable performance came at the team’s home event, the Matthews Auto Collegiate Golf Invitational. The Cincinnati, Ohio native finished tied for second on the individual leaderboard at 67-70 = 137/7-under par. His score through 36 holes is the lowest relative to par in program history. He also shot a 67/5-under par in the first round of the tournament, which is tied for the second-lowest relative to par in Binghamton history. Additionally, Conner posted two top 20 finishes during the season by placing in a tie for 12th at the Cornell Fall Invitational and tied for 16th at the Sacred Heart Spring Break Invitational. For his performance during the first month of the season, he was named a Prime Performer by the NEC on Oct. 5.
 
Shen was another golfer who earned a top 10 finish for the Bearcats the prior season. He finished tied for 10th at the Southern Invitational with a score of 72-72-71 = 215/2-over par. It was the second top 10 finish of his career. He also finished tied for 20th at the Lehigh Invitational at 76-75 = 151/7-over par. Shen would go on to be named a Prime Performer by the NEC on April 3 after his performance at the Southern Invitational.
 
Millevoi enters his senior season with momentum. During the spring portion of the 2023-24 season, the Syosset, N.Y., native put up two top 20 finishes.  He first finished tied for 14^th at Sacred Heart’s Spring Break Invitational at 73-76 = 149/5-over par. After just missing out on the top 20 by finishing tied for 22nd at the Carpetbagger Classic, Millevoi ended the year by placing in a tie for 20th at the NEC Championship.
 
Blech put up the first two top 20 finishes of his collegiate career in 2023-24. He finished tied for 16th at the Lehigh Invitational and tied for 18th at the Southern Invitational.
 
Jones earned his first collegiate top 20 finish the prior season at the Matthews Auto Collegiate Golf Invitational, where he tied for 17th place at 71-74 = 145/1-over par. Both his first round score of 71/1-under par and score of 145/1-over par through 36 holes are the lowest of his collegiate career.
 
Vesper will enter his second season with the Bearcats. As the team’s lone freshman the prior year, he competed in six tournaments. In the final round of the Matthews Auto Collegiate Golf Invitational, he shot his best round of the season at 73/1-over par.
 
Colella is competing in his senior season. At the Cornell Fall Invitational, he shot a 72/1-over par in the final round of the event.
 
Both days of the Alex Lagowitz Memorial begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.