University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies, Pezzino Capture New England Honors
6/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
KINGSTON, R.I. --- The 2015-16 UConn Huskies, head coach Dave Pezzino, and three individual UConn golfers have been honored by a vote of the New England Division I head golf coaches.
The 2015-16 Huskies have been named the New England Division I Team of the Year, Pezzino was named the New England Division I Coach of the Year, and seniors Zach Zaback (Farmington, Conn.) and John Flaherty (Glastonbury, Conn.) and junior Eric Dietrich (Cheshire, Conn.) were named to the 2016 Division I All-New England Team.
UConn had an outstanding team season in 2015-16, earning two tournament championships in the Hartford Hawks Invitational in South Kent, Conn., on Sept. 22, 2015, and the Til Duty Is Done Collegiate Invitational in Baltic, Conn., on April 24, 2016.
In 11 events this year, the Huskies had seven Top Five finishes, including two seconds in addition to the two titles. It marked one of the finest all-around seasons in the nine-year UConn tenure of Pezzino, whose teams have now won seven tournament championships.
Dietrich was the low average pace-setter for the Huskies this season, averaging 71.9 strokes in 32 rounds. He was the only UConn player to win a tournament this year, capturing medalist honors in the Til Duty Is Done Collegiate Invitational, and also added five finishes in the Top 10 and seven in the Top 20. He had 17 rounds of par or better.
Zaback was right behind Dietrich with a 72.5 scoring average in 32 rounds, notching five Top 10 finishes and seven finishes in the Top 20. He had 14 rounds of par or better and seven sub-70 rounds. Since the collegiate season ended, Zaback has won both the Russell C. Palmer Cup and the Connecticut State Amateur Championship, the latter for the second time.
Flaherty, a co-captain of this year's team with Zaback, averaged 74.2 per round for 32 rounds this season, posting two Top 10 and three Top 20 finishes. He shot par or better 12 times and had a low round of 69.
2016 DIVISION I ALL-NEW ENGLAND
Will Betts, Hartford
Eric Dietrich, UConn
John Flaherty, UConn
Joe Leavitt, Rhode Island
Matt Naumec, Boston College
Nick Pandelena, Boston College
Evan Russell, Hartford
McKinley Slade, Bryant
Billy Walthouse, Rhode island
Zach Zaback, UConn
Golfer of the Year: Billy Walthouse, Rhode Island
Rookie of the Year: Matt Naumec, Boston College
Coach of the Year: Dave Pezzino, UConn
Team of the Year: UCONN
