May 9, 2012
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Matthew McKnight and the Bethune-Cookman Men aim to defend their national titles while the Women's squad looks to regain the top spot this weekend at the PGA National Minority Championship beginning Friday at PGA Golf Club.
MEN'S TOURNAMENT: All five players from last year's title team are back, including McKnight, who won medalist honors with a playoff victory on the first extra hole. This season, the sophomore from Northern Ireland has averaged a team-best 73.9 shots in his 30 rounds, with a victory and four top-ten finishes in his 11 appearances.
McKnight enters the tournament after posting a convincing 11-shot triumph at the MEAC Showcase in which he finished with a 68. B-CU made up 17 shots in the final round to edge Savannah State in that effort.
“I'm just trying to stay focused on the team goals and see how my golf goes,” McKnight said. “We're playing with a lot of confidence right now.”
History-wise, the Wildcats are looking for their first repeat and sixth overall title against ten other teams in the Division I field.
Joining McKnight will be Jamichael Jones, who won at the FAMU Invitational and has a season average of 74.4, Alex Clapp (75.3), Emmanuel Petrich (76.3) and Rafeal Abad (74.4).
WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT: The Lady Wildcats, all sophomores and freshmen, enter the weekend with victories in their last two tournaments and four of the last six. The most recent triumph was at Women In Golf as B-CU held off South Carolina State by two shots as Patrizia Trevisan took individual honors in a playoff victory.
In addition to Trevisan, Estefania Acosta, Andrea Orozco, and Marie Bereglin have each won a tournament this season. Jennifer Hide rounds out the B-CU roster, while Vanessa Adarme will compete as an individual.
Acosta, who joined the team after the fall season, has three top-five finishes in her six spring events. She's had two of B-CU's three sub-par round and has the team low average with a 78.0 Last year, B-CU's Kim Wong took the individual title while the team finished third. B-CU has won eight championships overall, the last in 2010.
