WETHERSFIELD, Conn. – A strong final round powered Fairfield University Men's Golf into a tie for second place at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate this week at Wethersfield Country Club. Rasmus Ditzinger set the pace for the Stags, finishing second overall on the individual leaderboard.
 
The Stags carded a 280 on Tuesday – matching the best team round of the tournament – to jump from sixth place after Round 1 into a tie for second place on the final ledger. Fairfield tied with MAAC foe Iona with a 571, seven strokes behind tournament champion Rhode Island. The Stags also bested MAAC foes Siena, Sacred Heart and Manhattan as well as regional rivals including Villanova, Providence, Army, Holy Cross, and Fordham.
 
Ditzinger was one of only two golfers in the 75-man field to fire two rounds below par, turning in a 69 on Monday and a 68 today. His 137 was four strokes short of URI's Luke Stennett, who earned individual medalist honors with a 133 – including a tournament-best 64 in Round 1.
 
Reigning MAAC Champion Tadgh Burke also cracked the individual top-10, propelled by the best individual round by a Stag with a final round 67 to finish at even par (142). Peter Crowe was two shots behind him at 144 and Ty Ford carded a 148 to round out Fairfield's quartet of scoring golfers.
 
Anthony Naples competed as an individual and shot a 36-hole score of 162.
 
Fairfield has finished tied for second at both of its fall tournaments to date, trailing only the University of Rhode Island at both events. Ditzinger adds this week's second-place finish behind URI's Luke Stennett to a standout performance at the SHU Fall Classic, in which he tied Stennett atop the leaderboard. Stennett is reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year for the Rams.
 
Fairfield Men's Golf continues its fall schedule next week at the UConn Invitational at GreatHorse. The Stags will play 54 holes over three days from Sept. 28-30.