April 15, 2006

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Junior Steve Arnold (Langhorne, Pa.) was one of just four players in a field of 84 to finish the tournament under par, and Villanova placed eighth at the Navy Spring Invitational after shooting a team round of 304 over the final 18 holes at the Navy Golf Course.

Arnold carded an even par round of 71 on Saturday that featured two birdies. He wound up tied for the tournament lead with eight birdies for the weekend and finished just two strokes behind individual medalist Erich Schoen of Navy.

Villanova slipped five places in the team standings after sitting in third place following Friday's round, but still finished ahead of the only other Big East team in the field. The Wildcats were three strokes ahead of Seton Hall and enter next week's conference tournament with a 9-1 (.900) head-to-head record against other Big East teams this spring.

Arnold was the lone Wildcat to finish in the top 20 of the field, as the team's other counting scores on Saturday included a 75 from freshman Andrew Alexander (Rochester, Minn.) and two rounds of 79 from senior Colin Mahon (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) and freshman Doug Stadler (Wexford, Pa.).

For the second straight day, Stadler notched four birdies in his round, and joined Arnold atop the field with eight birdies for the tournament. Alexander was tied for 30th in the individual standings after recording scores of 75-75=150, while senior captain Jonathan Hewett (Sioux Falls, S.D.) tied for 45th after going 72-80=152 over two days. Stadler tied for 54th and Mahon tied for 62nd place overall.

With 10 tournaments under its belt this season, including four this spring, Villanova heads into the Big East Championship in excellent shape. The Wildcats have an overall record of 89-49-1 against its competition this season, including a stellar 53-19-1 mark in the heavier-weighted spring schedule.

Seeding for the conference tournament will be announced later this week, with the actual championship to be held from April 23-25 at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City, Fla. Conference newcomer University of South Florida is serving as tournament host.