Date Posted: 5/18/2008

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - After a first round he wanted to forget, ETSU's Cian McNamara (Limerick, Ireland) was looking for a way to make amends. The senior certainly found an appropriate way to wash away the bad memories during Saturday's final round at the NCAA East Regional.

McNamara fired a team-best 4-under-par 67 that powered the No. 21-ranked Buccaneers to a remarkable charge from 13th on the team leaderboard to a final finish of eighth at the Council Fire Golf Club. McNamara, who was joined in the 60s by teammate Seamus Power (Waterford, Ireland) with a 68 and fellow senior Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) with a 69, helped the Buccaneers to a team score of 8-under 276 on the day, and lifted ETSU to its 17th berth all-time in the NCAA Championships.

"I was really disappointed with my first round and felt like I had let myself and the team down, especially being a senior," said McNamara, who posted a 10-over 81 during the first round but enjoyed a round with seven birdies Saturday. "I definitely wanted to made amends, so instead of putting pressure on myself and thinking about this being my last tournament, I just went out there and trusted myself. That attitude paid off and it was really satisfying watching the rest of the guys coming in with their scores."

ETSU head coach Fred Warren said his team's efforts on the back nine were unforgettable.

"We kind of just hung in there on the front, but to just watch everything unfold on the back and the way we finished up this tournament was really an impressive thing to experience," said Warren, whose squad will be making its third straight appearance in the NCAA Championships. "We just started making putts. At one point I saw us pick up seven birdies in a five-hole stretch from 10 to 14, and then Seamus finished the back with a 31, Cian had a 33, Rhys (Enoch) had a 34 and Gareth had a 35. Everyone just played really well coming in. It was one of the best rounds I've seen - especially the back nine."

UNF closed out the 2008 NCAA East Regional and its 2007-08 season on a strong note Saturday with a 3-under-par performance to finish the event in 18th place.

UNF shot a team score of 281, but finished 13 strokes out of a top-10 finish that would have secured the Ospreys a spot in the NCAA Championship.

Michael O'Neal closed out his career by leading the Ospreys with a 3-under-par score of 68 on Saturday, recording four birdies and only one bogey in his round.

J.C. Horne followed O'Neal with a round of 69, while Jordan Gibb recorded five birdies on the day and shot 70. Jeff Dennis and Chris Kennedy each shot 74 to round out the scoring for the Ospreys. Horne was UNF's highest individual, finishing tied for 47th at 1-over-par for the three-round event.

Related Links:
 • ETSU Full Release
 • UNF Full Release