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Somerset, NJ - Central Connecticut claimed two major individual awards in the wake of its first Northeast Conference men’s golf championship title since 2005.

Senior Anthony Sebastianelli became the second Blue Devil to earn the NEC Golfer of the Year award while head coach Kyle Gallo became the program’s first-ever NEC Coach of the Year recipient.

On the heels of winning the NEC individual title at LPGA International, Sacred Heart freshman Saptak Talwar captured the NEC Rookie of the Year award. The first-year Pioneer fired a 67 on the final day of the league’s championship tournament to force a sudden-victory playoff hole with Sebastianelli.

The top-two individual finishers headlined the five-member All-NEC First Team. Sebastianelli was one of three Blue Devils to garner all-NEC honors with freshmen Nick Piersall and Joe Tucker both securing spots on the Second Team. The Northeast Conference first unveiled the major awards recipients along with two all-league teams via its @NECsports Twitter handle on May 4.

Sebastianelli accounted for the lowest average round on the circuit this season. Averaging 73.0 strokes per holes, the CCSU senior posted five top-three finishes and topped the leader board at three different events. He produced a three-round 216 score to tie for first at the NEC Championship, shooting 73 on each of the first two days before ending with a 70. Two weeks prior to his memorable performance at LPGA International, Sebastianelli carded back-to-back 71 rounds to tie for first at the Rhode Island Invitational. In the fall, he carded a two-round 143 score en-route to a third-place showing at the Quechee Club Collegiate. Then, he won the Metropolitan Collegiate in mid-October by tally a two round 138 (70-68). Sebastianelli enters the NCAA Regional on a hot streak having produced a 73 or better in each of his last six rounds.

Talwar is the third Pioneer to earn the NEC Rookie of the Year accolade and the first since Josh Salah snagged the honor on 2010. His dramatic victory at the conference tournament automatically qualified the New Delhi product for the NCAA Regionals. Talwar, who was placed in the NCAA Kissimmee (FL) Regional, averaged a team-low 75.5 per round this season. His best finish in the fall came at the Metropolitan Intercollegiate. He finished in 11th place after a two-round 149 score. He opened the spring at Bethune Cookman’s Gary Freeman Invitational where he finished tied for fifth on the individual leader board. Following a 78 in the first round, Talwar settled in and carded a 72 on the second day followed by a 74 on Day 3.

Gallo, who took the reins at his alma mater prior to the 2015-16 season, guided the Blue Devils to their first conference title in more than a decade. CCSU’s championship season began to take form with a strong finish to the fall schedule. The Blue Devils won the team title at the inaugural Metropolitan Championships in West Orange, NJ. Following the seven-stroke victory in mid-October, CCSU ended the month by posting wins over Bryant and Holy Cross in a tri-match. In the spring, CCSU heated up at the Towson Invitational. After posting the lowest first round team score, the Blue Devils settled for a runner-up finish at the two-day tournament.
 

MORE TO KNOW…
> NEC team champion Central Connecticut garnered a league-high three all-conference selections. Sacred Heart (Talwar and Matt Shubley) and Bryant (John Roberts and Matthew Stafford) accounted for two honorees apiece.

> Saint Francis U senior Brandon Mihalo averaged a 73.8 en-route to his second consecutive appearance on the All-NEC First Team.

> Robert Morris sophomore Max Palmer and Sacred Heart senior Matt Shubley moved up from the Second Team to the First Team this spring. Palmer, the 2017 NEC Rookie of the Year, posted the third-lowest average round (74.0) in the conference.

> Bryant’s John Roberts, who led the Bulldogs with a 76.3 average, is on the All-NEC Second Team for the second straight season.