Simpson, Sanz Lead Loyola With Top-Three Finishes at Maryland Individual Invitational
By Brian Hradsky
Loyola University Maryland men’s golf received a strong performance from both ends of its experience spectrum Monday, as freshman Matthew Simpson and graduate student Lorenzo Sanz finished second and third at the Maryland Individual Invitational in College Park.
Simpson made an immediate impact in his first collegiate tournament, finishing the 36-hole event at 3-under-par 139. Sanz finished two strokes behind his teammate at 1-under 141, giving the Greyhounds two of the tournament’s three golfers to finish below par.
Simpson Shines in Collegiate Debut
Simpson could hardly have asked for a better start to his Loyola career.
The Toronto, Ontario, native opened the tournament with a 2-under 69 on the par-71 University of Maryland Golf Course. He followed with a 1-under 70 during the second round, giving him a two-round total of 139 and sole possession of second place.
Simpson’s final round included an impressive finish. After sitting at even par overall through 26 holes, he birdied the ninth and played a bogey-free back nine at 2-under. Simpson then birdied his final hole, the course’s 18th, to secure second place.
Maryland’s Benjamin Siriboury finished ahead of Simpson for the individual title, but Simpson’s debut was strong enough to earn recognition beyond the tournament. Two days later, the Patriot League named Simpson its Men’s Golfer of the Week.
It was an impressive introduction for the freshman, who joined Loyola out of St. Michael’s College School in Toronto. Simpson showed an ability to recover from mistakes, make birdies when needed and finish rounds effectively — all encouraging signs for a player competing in his first collegiate event.
Sanz Fires 68 to Finish Third
Sanz provided Loyola with another outstanding performance, particularly during the afternoon round.
The graduate student fired a 3-under 68, tying for the lowest round of the afternoon. That pushed Sanz to 1-under 141 for the tournament and gave him sole possession of third place, immediately behind Simpson.
Sanz brings considerably more collegiate experience than Simpson and has a strong history playing golf in Maryland. The Glen Arm native attended Calvert Hall College High School, where he won consecutive MIAA individual championships in 2021 and 2022. He also won the 2020 AJGA Greater Baltimore Championship at 9-under and finished second in the 2021 Maryland State Junior Amateur.
That local experience made his performance in College Park particularly noteworthy. Sanz’s second-round 68 allowed him to climb the leaderboard and gave Loyola two golfers among the tournament’s top three.
Greyhounds Show Their Depth
Loyola’s success extended beyond Simpson and Sanz.
Freshman Michael Asselta finished tied for 13th at 6-over after shooting matching 3-over rounds. Senior Dustin Stocksdale was one stroke behind Asselta and tied for 15th, helped by a 1-over 72 during his final round.
Junior Matt Carpentier rounded out Loyola’s contingent with a 20th-place finish at 13-over. With Simpson finishing second, Sanz third and three additional Greyhounds gaining tournament experience, Loyola received production throughout the group.
The results also came shortly after Loyola’s appearance at the Macdonald Cup at Yale Golf Course. That tournament was shortened to 18 holes because of a nor’easter, with Loyola finishing tied for fourth. Eli Spaulding tied for 10th individually and Jack Geyer tied for 12th.
Loyola’s Fall Schedule Continues
The Greyhounds will return to tournament competition Oct. 5-6 at the Hamptons Intercollegiate at Maidstone Club in East Hampton, New York. Loyola will serve as the host of the two-day event.
The fall schedule will continue with the Qubein Cup in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Oct. 19-20 before Loyola travels to Mexico for the Monterrey Collegiate Classic on Oct. 26-27. Those events will give the Greyhounds additional opportunities to build on a promising opening portion of the season.
MSB Take
Simpson’s performance is the biggest story coming out of College Park. Finishing second at 3-under in a collegiate debut is impressive on its own, but the way Simpson finished the tournament makes the result even more encouraging.
Loyola also has to be pleased with Sanz. Having an experienced graduate student shoot a final-round 68 while a freshman finishes second gives the Greyhounds an interesting combination of experience and young talent.
It was also another positive result during the early part of Loyola’s fall schedule. After tying for fourth in the weather-shortened Macdonald Cup, the Greyhounds came back two days later and placed two golfers inside the top three in College Park.
For Simpson, this could be the beginning of an exciting freshman season. For Loyola, performances like this show the Greyhounds have multiple golfers capable of going low and competing near the top of tournament leaderboards.
