WALTHAM, Mass. – With a lineup that includes four of last year's top 13 finishers, the Bentley University Falcons will look to defend their title when the 2015 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Golf Championships are contested Sunday and Monday at the En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y.

A pre-tournament poll of conference coaches projects the Falcons to finish third behind Le Moyne College, the championship's host team, and Southern New Hampshire. In the voting, the Dolphins received nine firsts and 81 points, SNHU collected the other first and 69, and Bentley followed with 67.

Bentley coach Mickey Herron, who'll be looking for his third NE-10 championship, is planning on going with a lineup of senior captains Malcolm Oliver (Damariscotta, Maine/Lincoln Academy) and Tom Ayres (Bolton/Nashoba Reg. HS), sophomores Cal Meyers (Richfield/Slinger HS) and Brett Chatfield (Attleboro/Bishop Feehan HS), and freshman Doug Kulikowski (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Sutherland HS). It'll be the first time that Herron has used that combo this season.

At last year's championships, Oliver was third with a 77-70-147, Meyers tied for fifth (72-78-150) and both Ayres (78-73-151) and Chatfield (76-75-151) tied for tenth.

Oliver is coming off a victory in last week's Division II Challenge in Quechee, Vt. where he shot 74-71-145. The only Bentley player to compete in each of the team's tournaments this fall, the 2014 New England Intercollegiate Golf Association championship owns a 74.5 stroke average. 

Kulikowski made his collegiate debut two weeks ago, posting a 70-75-145 to tie for ninth in the Dowling September Shootout.

Thus far this season, Bentley has finished fifth of 16 in the Le Moyne Fall Preview, fourth of 11 at Dowling and third of 11 at Quechee. Le Moyne was first or second in each of those events, and SNHU was second at Le Moyne.

The first tee time for Sunday is scheduled for 12:15 pm, and Monday's final round will be a 9 am shotgun start.

Northeast-10 Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll