ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy freshman Billy Hurley shot a 54-hole even-par 213 to lead the Midshipmen to their third-consecutive Patriot League golf title Sunday at the USNA Golf Course in Annapolis, Md. Navy overcame a 5-stroke deficit in the final 27 holes to beat out Colgate, who led the championship after the first 27 holes. Colgate finished the tournament in second place, 3 strokes behind Navy. Rounding out the field was Lehigh in third (914, +62), followed by Bucknell (917, +65), Army (931, +79), Holy Cross (947, +95) and Lafayette (962, +110).

"We were fortunate our team had a lot of depth this weekend," said Navy head coach Pat Owen. "Everyone really contributed on a day in which depth really counted. Colgate played awesome this weekend, but our guys knew what was at stake today and were able to perform exceptionally well under pressure. The championship really went right down to the wire and I feel we won it in the last three holes."

Four Navy players finished among the top 10, including Hurley. En route to his second-place individual finish, Hurley broke the league record for the lowest score, previously held by former Navy standout Aaron Wright (75-71-68-214). Hurley, who held a 2-stroke lead going into the final 18 holes, was edged out by Lehigh's Bowen Osborn who claimed the individual title with a 2-under par 211 (70-73-68), while setting the Patriot League record for the lowest score.

Navy junior Drew Craig placed fourth, recovering nicely after posting a score of 78 after the first 18 holes. Craig finished up with a 74 and a 2-under par 69 over the final 18 holes. Meanwhile, sophomore Nick Rogers and senior captain Kirk Glockner tied for ninth with Bucknell's Nick Liebowitz with a 17-over par 230.

Colgate placed three in the top 10, led by Eli Zackheim's third-place 4-over par 217. Josh Polsinelli finished six with an 11-over par 224, followed by teammate Dan Cappucci in seventh with a 226.

While Liebowitz tied for ninth in the competition, Bucknell's best finisher was Jimmy Freeman, who pitched in a fifth-place mark of 222 (+9).

Rounding out the top 10 was Army's Ryan Hazelton, who turned in a 16-over par 229 to finish eighth.

The top-10 finishers garnered All-Patriot League recognition, while Osborn picked up MVP honors.

The selections and pairings for the 2001 NCAA Tournament will be announced May 8 with regional action getting underway May 17. Regional sites for the 2001 NCAA Tournament include Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va. (East), Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla. (Central) and Trysting Tree Golf Course in Corvallis, Ore. (West). The finals will be played May 30-June 2 at the DukeUniversity Golf Club in Durham, N.C.

First things first for the Mids, though, as they conclude regular-season action next Saturday and Sunday when they travel to the Penn State Golf Course in University Park, Pa., to compete in the Rutherford Intercollegiate.

Top 10 Individual Finishers