Lebanon, Pa. – Junior Tyler Birdd (Elma, N.Y./Iroquois) finished in third place to earn a berth at the NCAA National Championships to lead the Le Moyne College men's golf team to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional held Thursday through Saturday at the par-72, 6636-yard Iron Valley Golf Club.

The top three teams from the Regional advanced to the 20-team NCAA Championship on May 22-26 at Avalon Lakes Country Club in Warren, Ohio, while the top two individuals not with a team advancing to the Championship also advance.
 
The Dolphins opened the regional with a 292 to land in second place, one shot off the lead. Le Moyne followed with a 300 on Friday to remain in second place, four shots off the lead. The Dolphins closed out the regional with a 309 in the third round to drop into sixth place with a three-day score of 907.
 
Davis & Elkins College won the team competition with a 28-over par 892, up two places from last year. The Senators opened the tournament with a 302 to land in fifth place, fired a tournament-best 292 on Friday to move into first place and then captured the title by four shots with a 298 on Saturday. Fayetteville State University placed second with a 32-over par 896. The Broncos recorded a 305 on Thursday to place in a tie for eighth, registered a 297 in the second round to move into a tie for third place and then into second place with a 294 on the final day. Indiana University of Pennsylvania finished in third place with a 54-hole score of 900. The Crimson Hawks carded a 306 in the first round to land in 10th place, a 301 on Tuesday to move into a tie for fifth place and then recorded a 293 to vault into third place and secure the final berth in the national championships. St. Thomas Aquinas' Donte Groppuso earned medalist honors and a berth at the NCAA Championship as individual with a four-under par 212 off rounds of 69, 69 and 74.

Birdd, who played in the regional for the third straight year and improved 26 spots from his tie for 29th place in his NCAA debut in 2021, recorded 10 birdies and a team-high 34 pars (two shy of the regional lead) on his way to a 216, the second-best 54-hole score of his career, trailing only his 214 to win the NE10 Championship in October. On the 30 par-4s, he tied for the third-best mark at two-over for an average of 4.07.  He registered a two-under 70 in the first round to land in second place. After posting a 74 in the second round to dip into third place, he tallied an even par 72 in the third round to remain in third place and capture the second individual berth at the NCAA Championship. He is the first Dolphin to earn an individual berth at the NCAA Championships and is the first to place in the top five since John Clare '17 earned medalist honors in 2017.
 
Sophomore Johnny Gruninger (Syracuse, N.Y./Manlius Pebble Hill), who placed in a tie for 78th last year, tied Birdd for the team-high with 10 birdies to go with 29 pars en route to a three-day score of 225 and a five-way tie for 18th place. He started the regional off by carding a 78, which landed him in a 14-way tie for 47th place. He followed with a one-under 71 in the second round to vault into 16th place. He posted a 76 on the final day to finish in the five-way tie for 18th place.

Senior Nicholas Bove (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee), who made his third straight NCAA appearance, finished in a three-way tie for 38th place with a 229, which included eight birdies and 27 pars. He opened the week with a one-over par 73 to land in a seven-way tie for 10th place. He slipped into a six-way tie for 22nd place with a 78 in the second round. He closed out his regional with another 78 on Saturday to finish in the tie for 38th place.

Senior Luke Barney (Apalachin, N.Y./Vestal), a member of the lineup for the regional for the third straight year, recorded a 54-hole total of 243, featuring eight birdies and an eagle, to finish in a three-way tie for 93rd place. On Thursday, he carded an 83 to land in an eight-way tie for 92nd place. He jumped into a six-way tie for 80th place with a 77 in the second round for the second time in three years. He slid in the standings following another 83 on the final day.
 
Freshman Anthony Maglisco (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) carded 32 pars, the second-most on the team, pars en route to finishing with a 245 and a six-way tie for 98th. He tied for the best performance on the 12 par-3s at one-over for a scoring average of 3.08. He turned in a 77 in the first round to land in a seven-way tie for 40th place. He posted an 84 in the second to fall to a six-way tie for 86th place. He concluded his season with an 84 to slide to his final placement.