PORTLAND, Maine – Coming off a victory at the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Qualifier, the Nichols golf team played to a second-place finish at the USM Fall Invitational at the Riverside Golf Course in Portland, Maine, posting a 617 (+41).

The Bison's team score of 617 was tied with the host institution, the University of Southern Maine, on Monday following two rounds. Both teams relied on the score of the fifth golfer from each team to serve as a deadlock breaker, and the Huskies were deemed the winner, as John Welch out-dueled Mathias Backstrom by four strokes to secure the win.

Nichols entered the second round of the tournament with a 308-312 lead over the Huskies following an impressive showing on Sunday, where Backstrom, in his first competition of his collegiate career, led the Bison to a team score of 308 (+20) with a score of 74 (+2). Luke Sargent's 76 (+4) and Drew Stanton's 77 (+5) also helped push Nichols into the lead after 18 holes.

Sargent followed his first day score with a 77 (+5) on Monday to lead the Bison with a two-day recording of 153, just nine strokes over par, for a share of third place overall. Colby Mitchell bounced back with a 74 (+2) to lead the squad in the second round, finishing T-7 while posting a total of 155 (+11).

Colin Small posted a 168 (+24) over his two rounds, finishing tied for 28th.

The Bison are set to finish their fall slate at the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association (NEIGA) Tournament over the weekend of Friday, October 14 to Sunday, October 16 at The Captains Golf Course in Brewster, Mass.