Sports

Vestal High repeated as team champion of the season-opening Nick DiNunzio Memorial golf tournament Monday at Endwell Greens Golf Club, where Maine-Endwell’s Matt Maione topped the individual heap by a bunch.

Vestal High School repeated as team champion of the season-opening Nick DiNunzio Memorial golf tournament Monday at Endwell Greens Golf Club.

The Golden Bears’ 401-stroke total was five ahead of runner-up Susquehanna Valley and nine up on third-place Corning on an alternate venue for this event that ushers in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference season. Ordinarily contested at En-Joie Golf Course, the switch was necessitated because the latter is otherwise spoken for as host to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

Maione’s 1-under-par 71 was a highly impressive four clear of the day’s next-best. Nick Barney of Vestal and Brenon Maynard of Norwich shared runner-up status.

Maynard strung six pars at the outset of his front nine, and Barney’s first birdie came at his third hole of the day, No. 4. Colin Sabitus backed Barney’s effort with a 79 for the team champions.

Maione began his round on the 10th hole and proceeded to a bogey-par-bogey start, and carded his initial birdie at the par-5 16th. Grade-A work done on his second nine featured a birdie at the fourth hole and three birdies through the conclusion of a 34-stroke tour of the second side.

A pair of eagles were logged_ by Keegan Ernest of Horseheads on the 14th hole and Casey Woodard of Elmira on the ninth.