Johnson Leads Men’s Golf At Duke Nelson Invitational

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (September 14, 2025) – The Western New England men's golf team came away with a 16^th-place finish over the two-day Duke Nelson Invitational, hosted by Middlebury College this past weekend. Derek Johnson picked up a 19^th place finish out of 106 golfers to lead the way for the Golden Bears.

How it Happened:

Derek Johnson led the Golden Bears in the tournament with the 19^th-place finish. Johnson shot a 77 (+6) to open the tournament, shooting 13 pars for the course. On day two of the event, the WNE sophomore improved four strokes and collected 15 pars and a birdie to collect a 73 (+2) overall. Johnson's +8 for the event put him 19^th overall, up 13 spots from 32^nd after yesterday's finish. He also finished third among players from Conference of New England schools competing.
WNE's Alex Noti finished round one yesterday with a score of 80 overall (+9) but improved on day two, shooting just four strokes over par. Noti's day one was highlighted by two birdies overall but was held back by six bogeys and two double bogeys. On day two, Noti cleaned up his game with a pair of birdies and 11 pars overall. Noti finishes 46^th, up 21 spots from yesterday's finish.
In his first tournament with Western New England, Carter Browning put together an 83 (+12) for the opening day of the tournament and improved three strokes on Sunday with an 80 overall (+9). Browning collected two birdies for the 36-hole event overall.
Aidan Devaney also improved from day one to day two, finishing his first 18-hole round of his collegiate career with an 84 overall (+13). Devaney finished with a pair of birdies and an 81 on Sunday, finishing the event +23.
Kyle Klimas rounded out the five for Western New England to compete over the weekend. Klimas shot an 80 (+9) on opening day of the event. Klimas would return with an 87 on Sunday to round out the event with a +25 overall in the first tournament of the season.

Coach's Corner:
Head coach Jim Abbott talked about the team's first competition of the year after Sunday's round concluded. "We struggled a little on the first day on what is a very difficult golf course. We had two freshmen playing in their first college tournament which is always difficult. I thought the boys bounced back really well on day two. Putting up some good scores. I think with one tournament under our belt, we will improve heading into Bowdoin," Jim stated.
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