Toms River, NJ - Shooting a five year-long low score of just 321, the host Ocean County College Vikings golf team won their Region 19 regular season opening tournament on Monday (3/31), at historic Seaview Golf Club, tapping in just a single stroke ahead of 2023 and 2024 defending Region 19 champions RCSJ Gloucester. The Vikings bested their rival Roadrunners 321 to 322 and defeated RCSJ Cumberland (366) as well, driving through Galloway Township's blustery breezes to take first place in the 2025 OCC Invitational.
OCC first club Josh Hybbeneth led the way, scoring a tournament best 4-over par 75 to win his first-ever tournament. Hybbeneth, a first-year player from Jackson Liberty High School, carded a remarkable Eagle-3 on Seaview's 463-yard par five 9th hole to power the Vikings to victory. Carving a 5-iron from behind a tree, Hybbeneth secured the rare Eagle with a well-stroked five foot putt. A Top 5 player for the past two years on the Ocean County high school scene (2023 and 2024), Monday's triumph was, amazingly, Hybbeneth's first-ever overall individual tournament title.
"It finally feels good to get one," said Hybbeneth. " I'd been so close so many times in high school the past couple of years, so coming through today, and helping the team win against Gloucester, feels really amazing. The guys all hung together out there and muscled through to the finish."
Number 2, Rocco Scarabino, another first year Viking, chipped in along with fellow freshman teammate Jimmy Borowski with sub-80 rounds of 79. Scarabino recovered from a rough front nine(42), which included a near-disastrous triple bogey 6 on the par-3 seventh hole (180 yards) with a birdie-3 on the par 4 tenth hole to turn his round around. Scarabino made birdie after sticking his second shot to just five feet from the cup.
Jordan Cook completed OCC's scoring, shooting a solid 18-hole round of 88. Maxx Agnello also played well.
Stockton University had three sub 80 rounds as well, edging OCC by just one shot (320 to 321) in the team overall competition, with rounds 78 from Zach Freed and Hunter Stubely, and a 79 from Alan Crowder. Stockton's Ellie Byrne won the women's individual division with a 79.
"Today was an absolutely terrific way to start off our '25 season," said OCC Head Golf Coach Sean Fawcett. "Our team played very, very well in difficult playing conditions on maybe the toughest course that we play, the Bay Course at Seaview, home of the LPGA's ShopRite Classic. I couldn't be any prouder about how they battled out there. I'm happy for Josh. He had an incredible round out there."
OCC's next challenge will be next Monday, April 7, at Union County's Tournament at Galloping Hill in Kenilworth.
"The tournament at Galloping Hill is one we always look forward to," said Fawcett. "If we can shoot then like we did today, we stand a real chance."