The Gym Bag: Island golfer places for first time as pro; Wagner men’s hoops team splits pair of games in Saint Thomas

Nov 23, 2023

Angela Masseria is an assistant professional at Richmond County Country Club, and is close to becoming an LPGA member. (Courtesy of Angela Masseria)

Richmond County Country Club pro Angela Masseria got the proverbial monkey off her back.

The Tottenville High School product placed for the first time in her pro career by finishing 14th overall earlier this week in The 2023 Women’s Met Open Championship at Essex Fells Country Club in Essex Fells, N.J.

Masseria, 25, finished the two-round tourney with a 155 total. She struggled a bit on Monday shooting an 82, but recovered nicely with a sparkling 73 on Tuesday to finish at +9 for the tourney.

Lauren Peter of Whippoorwill Club captured the event with 1-under par 145.

“I think I could’ve placed much better but I was happy with 14th considering my first-round score,” said Masseria, an assistant golf professional at RCCC, who competed in several Met events as a junior. “I hit the ball good. I just couldn’t get the putting down on the first day. My last three holes on the first day I went eagle, triple, double so those last two holes killed my round.”

Masseria says competing on the pro level is much different from playing in high school or at West Chester University (where Masseria graduated three years ago).

“Nerves definitely play a role especially when you have to really focus for five hours straight,” she said. “It gets tough but I was able to control that and make a good amount of putts to put up a good score on day 2.”

Masseria said she had a much better eyes for the greens on day 2.

“They were very fast, but I was just able to control the speed better,” she said of the greens. “I knew I was playing good on the second day, but I just tried to keep my rhythm up and not let any mistakes get in my head. I knew if I just played my game and not let my head affect my play I was going to put up a good score.”

The Wagner College men's basketball team recently returned from a trip to Saint Thomas, where it split a pair of games. (Photo courtesy of Wagner College)

Wagner College men’s hoops team goes 1-1 on foreign tour

The Wagner College men’s basketball concluded its foreign tour in Saint Thomas by splitting a pair of games.

The Seahawks, coached by Donald Copeland, played two games against the U.S. Virgin Islands national team. Last Wednesday, Wagner earned a convincing 78-68 victory as five Seahawks scored nine or more points. Wagner converted on 42.9% of field goal attempts.

One night later, a furious Wagner comeback came up just short, as the Seahawks fell 82-76, despite outscoring their opponent 27-21 in the final quarter.

Apart from playing two games, the Wagner delegation took in numerous cultural experiences, including a catamaran tour, a swimming session with dolphins and sea lions, along with sightseeing tours of multiple historical venues in Saint Thomas.

The trip was made possible through fundraising efforts by the men’s basketball program.

Under NCAA rules, teams are allowed to take one foreign trip every four years. This will be Wagner’s first trip abroad since 2016, when the Seahawks traveled to Costa Rica. The Seahawks also traveled to Sydney, Australia in 2005.

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