BRIDGEWATER, Va. -- The Bridgewater College men's golf team brought its largest-ever roster into the 2022-2023 season and put 18 players into action on Monday in their home event, the Kinder-Williams Invitational. With three teams in competition, the Eagles are sitting in sixth, eighth, and 13th out of 15 teams, and sophomore Darien Smith leads the way with an even-par round of 72.
 
In recent years, the Eagles have played multiple teams in early-season tournaments as a way of solidifying the starting lineup, and in recent years the finishes between the various Bridgewater squads have been neck and neck. Last fall the A and B teams finished 2nd and 3rd at Shenandoah with the B Team edging out the top lineup.
 
Today, the B Team beat the A Team again, led by Smith, who sits in a tie for fourth place among 81 competitors. Smith was actually -3 with two holes to play but finished on a pair of tough holes on the Mountain Course at Lakeview Golf Club and settled for even par.

"A day like today was just a matter of time for Darien," said head coach John Rogers. "He broke his collegiate personal best by three strokes today, but he has shown he can put up a good number with some very good qualifiers. Hopefully this will be an ice-breaker for him and lead to consistently lower scores in competition." Smith credited his full swing for the success in round one, but said he dropped multiple shots in the short game.
 
Freshman Jack Thome dropped three strokes early in the round, and three more on the tough finishing holes, but he posted a solid 77 to launch his collegiate career. Rogers pointed to the 12 holes in the middle (-2) as a sign of things to come.
 
Another freshman matched Thome's 77 while helping the B Team stay competitive; Brandon Washburn opened his career with a jittery double bogey but then rattled off seven pars and a birdie to turn at +1. He dropped a few strokes on the back nine, but was pleased with his tough up-and-down on the final hole to save par. He and Thome are tied for 20th.
 
Max Kingora has made it clear that he intends to make a big jump during his sophomore season. He won a playoff in a qualifier to earn his spot on the B Team and opened the season with an 80, which is a full 14 strokes better than his average last season. "We lead the conference in player development," noted Rogers, "but Max seems to be ready to make a pretty crazy move forward with his game. It's always fun to see what a hard-working guy can do when he really pursues excellence." Kingora made the turn from the Lake Course at just +1.
 
The final score for the B Team was provided by freshman Andrew Baugher, former Spotswood High School standout. Baugher was not pleased with his iron-play on Monday but said his wedges and putter kept him in it. He posted an 81 to start his collegiate career.
 
The B Team briefly pulled within a stroke of the lead with just a few holes to play, but the tough stretch at the end of the Mountain Nine led to some dropped shots. They sit in 6th place, four strokes ahead of the A Team, which was paced by sophomore Max Bondurant.
 
Bondurant played a clean round with nothing higher than a bogey, partly due to making his share of medium-length par putts. Rogers noted that this is a good sign because the putter was the clear weakness in Bondurant's freshman campaign. The sophomore has led the Eagles in their fall qualifying process so far and looks poised to become a force in the ODAC.
 
Like Bondurant, sophomore Logan Douthat was a leader in qualifying, and he too played without a large number on Monday. He made eight pars on the front nine and just had a few three-putts en route to a 77.
 
Junior Hayden Hawes was not pleased with his iron-play in the first round of the season, but said he never gave up and grinded to keep his score below 80. He had birdies on his first and third holes, and 79 put him in a tie for 31st.
 
When junior Nate Winebarger closed the front nine with a pair of double-bogies, it seemed likely the Eagles would not count his score, but he fought back and played the back at +1. He said his tee shots were costly on Monday, but he held on to shoot 80.
 
Senior Jacob Sears made a couple birdies and scrambled his way to a score of 37 on the front (+1), but said he hit "some terrible shots" on the back. He also was not playing at 100% from a physical standpoint on the closing holes. He posted 82.
 
The A Team sits in 8th place, but they are only ten strokes behind the leaders from McDaniel College.
 
The C Team was led by sophomore transfer Cole Miller, one of nine Eagles who played his first collegiate round today. Miller had a solid first showing marred just by a double and a triple-bogey -- he played the final eight holes at even par to post 80.
 
Freshman Connor Kail matched Miller's 80 despite four double-bogies, set up mainly by hooks from the tee. Kail had three birdies and said he felt comfortable with his approaches and short game.
 
Two-sport athlete, Andy Pack (basketball), jumped into his first collegiate event and posted an 86. He played his final eight holes of the day at just +4.
 
The fourth ball for the C Team came from sophomore transfer, Connor Chapman (87). He pointed to his tee ball and some nervousness for some dropped strokes, but he settled down to play the final six holes at just two over par.
 
While freshman Tayte Mills said he never got any scoring momentum on his way to an 88, he also started striking the ball better towards the end of the round and looked forward to the second round.
 
Beyond the three teams Bridgewater entered, they also put three individuals into action. Freshman Ben Hutcheson (Broadway High School) led the way with an 85. He was pleased to turn at +2, but said he dropped strokes on the greens coming in.
 
Sophomore Collin Rhodes shot 87. He has been working hard to reduce a slice and suddenly was faced with the occasional hook, but he said he enjoyed the day, and he posted a score five strokes under his average from last season.
 
Freshman Blake Sibert opened up with a 91, a round in which he rolled the ball well but felt his ball-striking was not ideal.
 
"Today was not quite the day we were looking for with the A Team," said Rogers "but it has been five months since we were in competition. And our home course was playing firmer and faster than usual -- it was almost like playing away. But I will say this: we just put fourteen underclassmen into action today, and there were some bright spots. It's like I told the guys, this team will gel into a very competitive squad, the only question is when that happens."
 
Smith trails the individual leader (Ryan McGarry, McDaniel, 68) by four strokes, and the B Team is only six strokes off the lead going into the final round.
 
The Eagles hit the course at 9 AM Tuesday.