The UMass Dartmouth men's golf team has traditionally been successful.They took their success to the next level when they became the first UMass Dartmouth team to advance to NCAA post-season play in 33 years, winning the Great Northeast Athletic Conference championship last fall and advancing to the NCAA Division III Championships last spring uneer Head Coach Joel Baptista, who has coached the Corsairs since thespring 2006 season.

The Corsairs haven't skipped a beat since Baptista took over from the late Paul Fistori, UMD's longtime head coach, when Fistori retired at the conclusion of the fall 2005 season.

Last year, UMass Dartmouth finished in the top four in six of their nine tournaments during the regular season. In addition to winning the GNAC Tournament, UMD also won the Johnson & Wales Spring Invitational, finished second at the UMass Dartmouth Fall Invitational and the Rhode Island College Spring Invitational, was third at UMD's Hampton Inn Invitational, and finiished fourth at the Nichols Fall Invitational.

Baptista led UMass Dartmouth to a victory in his first match as head coach when the Corsairs were victorious at the Jack Barry Invitational Tournament in the spring of 2006. UMD finished third or better in four of their five tournaments that spring, then was second or betterr three times the next fall, and won the Worcester State Invitational
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The following spring, the Corsairs again won a pair of tournaments, including the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. UMD won twice the following fall, and finished the fall 2007 season by ranking second at the first ever Great Northeast Atlantic Conference-Little East Conference Alliance Championships. In the spring season, the Corsairs hosted and won the first-ever Hampton Inn Collegiate Invitational, and fibnished third or better three times, concluding the season with a third place finish at the Johnson & Wales Invitational and coming in second at the Jack Barry Invitational.

A UMass Dartmouth graduate and a former golf course general manager and United States Golf Federation teacher, Baptista has coached several outstanding players, including Kyle Pelletierr, Tyler Kett, and current captain Nick Jagoe. Kett was named to the Ping NCAA Division III All-Northeast Region Team as a senior by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

A versatile member of the staff, Baptista assists in the UMass Dartmouth sports information department during the winter sports season, helping cover basketball and hockey.With Baptista at the helm, the future of Corsair golf looks to be in good hands.

Call the Coach: (508) 999-9528

Email the Coach: Joelbap03@yahoo.com

Mailing address:

Men's Golf Office
c/o Tripp Athletic Center
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300