Colgate men’s golf team didn’t understand the “break” aspect of our spring break, playing in two tournaments over the past week, where they finished sixth out of seven teams in the Dutch Desert Shootout in Chandler, Arizona, and then ninth out of 14 in the George Washington Invitational in Bethany Beach, Delaware.

In their first tournament of the spring, each golfer only played 18 holes. Colgate’s five-man team of senior captain David Ake, first-year Will Delano, sophomore Ben Jessen, sophomore Josh Spellman and junior Neil Thompson struggled to a score of 318, twenty strokes off the pace set by the tournament’s co-winners, Grand Canyon University and Wisconsin-Parkside University.

“The first tournament in Arizona was a rough one for the team. Everyone except for Delano struggled,” Spellman said. “It is always an adjustment coming off the winter and getting right back into competition. We are all using those results to fire us up and do better each and every week.”

Delano tied for sixth in the tournament, posting an impressive 38-34, only three shots off the lead. Ake carded an 80, good for 25th in the tournament, while the remaining three tied for 34th with a score of 83.

In Delaware, Delano once again led the way for the Raiders, finishing 29th in the 96 golfer field with a score of 224, eight over par.

“Delano is an awesome player. Especially as a freshman, he has even more room to grow, and we are all excited to see what kind of talent he can become,” Spellman said. “He is a great asset to our team.”

Following right Delano’s heels was Spellman, who began the tournament with a career-best 71, eventually ending up with a 226, good for 35th.

“Shooting a 71 was a great feeling. I felt like I could step over any shot and execute it exactly the way I pictured,” Spellman said. “It is always exciting to shoot an awesome score, but true with every round, there are always things you can do better and work on. In fact, I missed three putts inside 3 feet that round, so I know I have room to improve.”

Jessen, Ake and Thompson all played solidly over the weekend, helping Colgate to its 920 point 9th place finish. Although ninth may seem like a bad result, some of the country’s power house teams, such as the University of Missouri, the eventual winner, were on hand, and Colgate finished ten strokes better than rival Holy Cross.