Springfield, Mass. -- October 11, 2010 -- Kyle DiFranco of the Springfield College men's golf team has been named the New England Collegiate Conference Rookie of the Year and Rookie of the Week for his efforts at the NECC Men's Golf Championships at Leicester Country Club this past Saturday and Sunday.DiFranco is a sophomore from East Longmeadow, Mass.
It was quite a weekend for the DiFranco brothers, Kyle and Craig, also of East Longmeadow.
First of all, Craig, a senior captain for the SC men's golf team, placed second as an individual at the NECC Tournament. Both he and younger brother Kyle were named to the NECC All-Conference First Team.
Kyle, who finished tied for fourth, had to play four extra holes to determine who would be named the Rookie of the Year. He had to play two others in extra holes before he prevailed. Kyle shot a 77-76=153. By winning Rookie of the Year honors, he also earned Rookie of the Week honors.
As a team, the Pride finished third (with 622 strokes) of seven teams, three strokes behind winner Elms College (619), and just one stroke behind second-place Babson (621).
Up next, Springfield will play in the New England Championships on October 18 and 19.
Joe Eadie enters his 20th season as the head men's golf coach at Springfield College in the fall of 2012. Eadie is the head golf professional at the Fenway Golf Range in nearby East Longmeadow, and is in the process of becoming a PGA Professional. He also lead the Pride to their first NCAA Division III Championship in program history. Read more.