HACKENSACK, N.J. - The Fairleigh Dickinson men's golf team has been picked to finish second in the 2022 Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Poll as announced by the conference office on Thursday afternoon.

The Knights earned one first place vote and trail only LIU who received a total of four in preseason voting. Sacred Heart and Bryant trail FDU with one first place vote each. The 2022 NEC Championships are scheduled for the weekend of April 29 - May 1 at the LPGA International Golf Course.

FDU's fall season was highlighted by a second place finish at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate, including a season-low round of 285 on the first day of competition. The Burgundy and Blue totaled nine top-10 individual finishes, placing sixth or better as a team in five of six fall tournaments.

The Knights are returning a total of three golfers from the previous season, including senior Jaime Julve who placed tied for fourth during the 2021 NEC Championships. Julve also added four top-10 individual finishes throughout the fall season. Junior Freddie Spencer enters the spring with a pair of ninth place finishes last fall and a low round of 70 (-2) at the Hartford Invitational on September 26. Senior Tristan Maharaj rounds out the returners from a season ago.

Freshman Leon Heitz looks to capitalize on a strong fall outing, placing tied for second at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate and fourth at the Nassau Invitational. Freshmen Langdon Aronson, Jake Lowis and Pyae Phyo Thu each made their collegiate debuts last fall and hope to continue their success this spring. Mike Douglas and Thomas George will compete for their first NEC Championship this season.

Last year, FDU concluded the 2021 NEC Championship in third place with a combined three-round score of 903 (300, 302, 301).

The Knights are set to begin their spring season this weekend at the Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational in St. George, Utah.