JAMAICA, N.Y. -- The St. Johns mens golf team will look to accomplish one of the teams season-long goals today when they begin play at the BIG EAST Championship, being held at the Metacomet Country Club in East Providence, R.I. The championship will begin today with two 18-hole rounds and conclude on Sunday.

The tournament champion earns the conferences automatic bid to the 2001 NCAA Division I Mens Golf Championship.

Defending champion Seton Hall and nationally-ranked Virginia Tech are among the top competitors for the title. St. Johns, ranked third in District II in the Mastercard Collegiate Rankings, has enjoyed one of its most successful regular seasons, winning three team championships.

Seeded second, the Red Storm will be aiming for their 10th conference championship, but only the first since 1989.

The team has been led by the sophomore tandem of Andrew Svoboda (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) and Jesse Fitzgerald (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville). Svoboda, ranked second individually in District II, sports a 72.96 scoring average to pace the squad. He claimed wins at the James Madison Invitational and the Temple Invitational last fall and posted three consecutive top-five finishes this spring. He also finished in a third-place tie at last years BIG EAST tournament.

Fitzgerald enters the tournament with a 73.48 stroke average. He captured the individual title at the Liberty Ramada Classic with a six-under par 138.

In the spring, St. Johns has posted five top-10 finishes, including fifth-place showings at the Treasure Coast Classic and the Liberty Ramada Classic.

For the most up-to-date information and statistics, please visit www.redstormsports.com.