BATAVIA, Ohio (9/24/2018) -- University of Detroit Mercy freshman Anthony Occhiuto carded a final-round 68 on his way to shooting a 213 and finishing in a tie-for-second place as he earned All-Tournament honors at the NKU Fall Classic, which wrapped up Monday afternoon.

Occhiuto was among a trio of Titan freshmen who finished in the top 20 at the tournament with Brendan O'Rourke placing 11th and James Hill earning 20th.

Occhiuto's even-par 213 was the lowest three-round score by a Titan freshman since 2000. He tied for second with Evansville's Dallas Koth and Northern Kentucky's Jacob Poore and finished three shots back of the 210 winning score.

Detroit Mercy finished in fifth place as a team with an 878 (290-304-284) and were just 13 strokes off the winning team score. The Titans' 284 on Monday tied for the lowest team score of the day.

Occhiuto shot 74 and 71 for a 145 in two rounds on Sunday before firing a 3-under 68 on Monday to match his freshman classmate Brendan O'Rourke for the lowest score of the day. O'Rourke also shot 3-under to finish in a tie for 11th place at the tournament. O'Rourke had a three-round total of 220 (72-80-68).

Freshman James Hill posted a score of 223 (70-75-78) for his third consecutive Top-20 finish to start his Titan career. Junior Zack Tenerowicz fired a final-round 72 on Monday and had a two-day total of 224 (76-76-72) to place in a tie for 22nd.

Junior Scott Sparks shot a 73 on Monday and placed 27th and sophomore Drew Tucci carded a final-round 75 to finish in a tie-for-29th for Detroit Mercy.

Detroit Mercy returns to action on Oct. 8-9 at Cleveland State's Tom Tontimonia Invitational from Lakewood Country Club in Westlake, Ohio.

Titan Scorecard:
5 - Detroit Mercy - 878 (290-304-284)
T2 - Anthony Occhiuto – 213 (74-71-68)
T11 - Brendan O'Rourke – 220 (72-80-68)
T20 – James Hill – 223 (70-75-78)
T22 - Zack Tenerowicz – 224 (76-76-72) (I)
26 - Scott Sparks – 227 (76-78-73)
T29 - Drew Tucci - 229 (74-80-75)
 
Here is a recap of the action at the NKU Fall Collegiate Classic:

• The team's score of 878 was the best since the Titans tallied an 868 for runner-up at the 2016 Jackrabbit Invitational
• The final round 284 is tied for the 19th lowest team score in school history and the lowest since posting a 283 in the second round of the Cleveland State Invitational in 2013
• The Titans shot a 923 at the event last year, making a 46 stroke improvement this season
• Detroit Mercy's 41 birdies were tied for the third most in the event
• Occhiuto's 213 is the best score by a Titan freshman since Brent McClung had a 211 at the 2000 Ohio Collegiate Classic and the third lowest score by a Titan freshman ever behind McClung and Johnny Strawser's 211 at the 2000 MCC Championship
• It is also the best score by any Titan since Kyle Gaines carded a 213 at the 2016 CSU Invitational 
• The 3-under 68 is the best score by a Titan since the 2016-17 season when Scott Sparks posted a 68 at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate and Kyle Gaines shot a 68 at the Crusader Collegiate 
• The 3-under 68 by Occhiuto and 0'Rourke are the best by a rookie since Lucas Kim registered a 68 at the 2012 NYX Hoosier Invitational
• Occhiuto was second among all competitors with a +1, 4,03 average on the course's par 4's
• Occhiuto and 0'Rourke's 11 birdies were tied for the fifth most in the field
• Hill had eight birdies, while Tenerowicz and Tucci knocked in six
• Tenerowicz led the team and was tied for 13th in the competition with 34 pars, while Occhiuto recorded 33
• Sparks and Tenerowicz led the team and tied for seventh with a -2, 4.89 average on the course's par 5's

 
Coach LaFave's Take

• "A really strong round today from the guys and they should all be proud. If not for a poor second round, we had a nice chance to win the event."
• "It rained from start to finish, and hard at times. The guys showed a lot of patience and managed their way around the course well."
• "Nice tournament for Anthony. He had a chance to win it down the stretch. Brendan showed his talent and potential with his final round and James added to another solid week for our freshmen."
• "The veterans grinded out solid performances and made significant strides back toward what I know they are capable of."

Occhiuto Earns All-Tournament Honors Finishing Runner-Up, Hill Claims 11th at NKU Fall Collegiate Classic #DetroitsCollegeTeam #HLGolf

Full Recap → https://t.co/8RbTHclUaV pic.twitter.com/J6Xyr6PeRP

— Detroit Mercy MGOLF (@DetroitMGolf) September 24, 2018