May 2, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy senior Erich Schoen (Sylvania, Ohio) has been named the Patriot League Golfer of the Month for the month of April after capturing medalist honors at last weekend's Patriot League Championship. Earning his second collegiate individual title, Schoen claimed the league's Most Outstanding Golfer award after pacing the field with a 7-over par 223 to lead the Midshipmen to the program's fifth Patriot League Tournament team title and first since 2003.

Schoen won the Patriot League individual crown by coming from behind to beat out Colgate's Ricky Hayes. Hayes held a 1-stroke advantage over Schoen through two rounds, but Schoen turned in a 3-over par 75 on the final day to edge Hayes by two strokes and become the sixth different Navy player to win the individual title. Schoen (74-74-75=23, +7) is the Mids' first individual champion since Billy Hurley topped the field with his 223 at the Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y. in 2004.

In addition to his winning performance at the conference tournament, Schoen turned in the second-lowest overall score by a Navy player at the Navy Spring Invitational with a 4-over par 146 to place seventh, and was the highest finisher among the Navy Blue team (Navy Gold and Navy White teams also competed). A week prior to Navy's invitational, Schoen produced a 10-over par 226 to place 53rd at the River Landing Intercollegiate where Navy played against five teams currently ranked among to nation's top 20.

Schoen owns the team's low average at 75.3 and is one of just two players who competed in all 10 tournaments over the course of the year. He placed among the top 20 in five events which included four top-10 marks and his league title effort.

Schoen and his Navy teammates are awaiting the the announcement of the 2008 NCAA Championship field which will be unveiled next Monday at 6:00 pm. By virtue of its conference win, Navy has earned an automatic bid to play in one of the three NCAA regionals held May 15-17. In the current regional format, Navy has made five previous NCAA Tournament regional appearances (1962, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003), four under Owen's leadership.

The Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn. will be the site of the East Regional, while the Central Regional will be played in Columbus, Ohio and the West Regional in Bremerton, Wash. The 10 top teams from each regional advanced to the NCAA finals which are May 28-31 in West Lafayette, Ind.