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Sept. 20, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After nearly a two-week layoff from competition, the Navy golf team will be back in action this weekend when it takes part in the 21-team Sea Trail/Elon Invitational played at Sea Trail Golf Resort in Sunset Beach, N.C. The 54-hole tournament is slated to tee-off on Friday at 8:00 am with the following teams competing: Appalachian State, Belmont Abbey, Bethune-Cookman, Delaware, Elon , Gardner-Webb, George Mason, Guilford College, Hampton, High Point, James Madison, Loyola, Murray State, Navy, Radford, South Carolina State, Stetson, South Carolina - Upstate, Villanova, William & Mary and Wofford.

The Midshipmen opened the season on Sept. 8-9 by playing host to the annual Navy Fall Invitational. Navy fielded four teams with the Navy Blue squad making the most of the final round where it jumped from sixth to second place. Three Midshipmen earned a top-10 finish, while another two were amond the top 20. "I was very pleased with how our older guys played in the opening tournament, particularly the way they adjusted and played so well on the second day," said head coach Pat Owen. "Our newcomers also gave a great effort and laid a solid foundation to build upon."

Facing a weekend on the links chalk-full of strong solid competitors, Navy will send one team to North Carolina, including three players who led the Mids to their second place finish two weeks ago.

"Having the gap between tournaments gave us the opportunity to evaluate the game of each player and identify those skills that they need to work on," added Owen. "It also gave the players a chance to make those changes and practice for a week.

Team captain Chris Renninger (Darnestown, Md.), along with his fellow senior classmates Erich Schoen (Sylvania, Ohio) and Ryan Sload (Lancaster, Pa.) will lead the charge for the Mids. Schoen was Navy's top finisher at the Navy Fall Invitational where he turned in a 3-over par 145 and featured a 2-under par 69 in the final round. Sload, meanwhile, was consistent throughout the weekend, posting a pair of 73s to record his first career top-10 finish. After opening with a 6-over par 77, Renninger shot a 1-over par 72 to finish the tournament with a 7-over par 149 and a 17th-place finish.

Along with the senior trio, juniors Chip Hardie (Arnold, Md.) and David Miller (Chillicothe, Ohio) will help the Mids compete for their first Sea Trail/Elon Invitational team title. After garnering All-Patriot League recognition last spring, Hardie continued his fine play in the Mids' opener where he turned in a 4-over par 146. Like Schoen, Hardie had a sensational final round where he registered a 2-under par 69 to tie for 10th place. Finally, Miller finished alongside Renninger in 17th place at the Navy Fall Invitational with a 7-over par 149 (75-74).

### Go Navy ###