MANAKIN SABOT -- The eight-player Virginia team posted a two-day total of 19-over-par 883 to win the 16th Mid-Atlantic Junior Invitational by 57 strokes over runner-up Maryland. The event concluded on Sunday at Hermitage Country Club.
The 57-stroke margin was the second largest in event history, bested only by Virginia's 63-stroke win over Maryland in 2020. It also marked a resounding comeback from last year, the only time in the 16-year history of the event that the Virginia team finished third.
Blacksburg's Jake Albert led the Virginia contingent, winning individual medalist honors with a two-day aggregate total of 5-under-par 139, shooting a 3-under 69 on Saturday and a 2-under 70 on Sunday. Albert and Richmond's Talon Dingledine were the only two players to finish under par over the weekend, with Dingledine posting identical scores of 1-under 71 for a 2-under total of 142. Ashburn's Neil Kulkarni tied for third with Maryland's George Williamson at 3-over 147.
Benjamin Baker (6-over 150), Ben Cowgill (8-over 152) and Ethan Evans (9-over 153) rounded out the scoring for team Virginia. Tommy Evans (4-over 148) was the top scorer for West Virginia, which finished in third.
Virginia has won five of the six Mid-Atlantic Junior Invitationals contested on home soil, finishing second in the inaugural event in 2009 at Williamsburg's Kingsmill Resort. Next year's Mid-Atlantic Invitational will be played in West Virginia.