GOLF

Three Blackbirds Receive Northeast Conference Player of the Week Accolades

 

3/15/06 --A trio of athletes from Long Island University were named Northeast Conference Players of the Week in their respective sports today.

Freshman golfer Natalie Desjardins (Haileybury, Ontario), junior golfer Patrick Kelly (Brisbane, Australia) and junior tennis player Merve Koksal (Ankara, Turkey) were all selected by the NEC for their accomplishments in the week ending March 15.

Desjardins, a Golfer of the Week recipient for the second time in her young career, recorded back-to-back rounds of 80 en route to her first individual crown at the Fairfield Spring Invitational in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The rookie Desjardins led the Blackbirds to a team victory at the Invitational

Kelly, a first-time honoree, shot a final round one-over-par 73 to finish in a tie for second at the Fairfield Spring Invitational. The Blackbirds finished in second, behind Kelly's two-day total of 151.

Koksal received Prince/NEC honors for the second time in her career after she posted a 4-0 mark this week. In a 4-3 loss to Eastern Kentucky, Koksal defeated EKU’s Ina Durcakova (6-4, 6-4) at No. 2 singles and also teamed with Krystina Bachner to take down the No. 1 doubles team, 8-2.

Against Niagara, Koksal ousted Julianne Prokopich (6-1, 6-2), while Koksal and Bachner won 9-7 in doubles action to propel the Blackbirds to a 5-2 victory