BALTIC, Conn. – Freshman SJ Welch (Newport, Maine/Nokomis Regional) of the University of Southern Maine Huskies' men's golf team fired a 70 (-1) to end the first round of the 2026 Little East Conference Men's Golf Championship tied for first place with Western Connecticut State University's Brayden Kassel. The Huskies ended the round in first place in the team standings with a score of 287 (+3) and lead Eastern Connecticut State University by five strokes. Welch shot par-35 over the first nine holes and was one-under 35 on the back nine. He had five birdies in total on the day. The event is being played at the Mohegan Sun Golf Club in Baltic, Conn.
 
Southern Maine has three additional golfers in the top-10 after the first round. Junior Owen Moore (Pittsfield, Maine/Maine Central Institute) is tied for third with a score of even-par 71. Moore was two-over 37 through the front nine before finishing two-under 34 on the back nine after recording two birdies and seven pars. Juniors Will Farschon (Brunswick, Maine) and Alex Fournier (Augusta, Maine/Cony) each shot a 73 (+2) and are tied for sixth. Fournier shot one-under 34 on the front half of the course, while Farschon had a strong back nine with a two-under 34. Farschon had three total birdies and Fournier had two.
 
Junior Alex Grant (St. Albans, Maine/Nokomis Regional) shot an 82 (+11) to end the round in 21st place. He had a pair of birdies on the back nine.
 
The event continues tomorrow at 10:30 with the teams in fourth through sixth place. The first tee time for the Huskies will be at 11:15 am along Eastern Connecticut and WestConn. The winning team will earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2027 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship in May. The championship is being held at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va. from May 18-21. First Team All-LEC honors will be awards to the players who finish first through fifth. Second Team All-LEC honors will go to the players who place sixth through 10th.