Stepping up to the tee Monday and yesterday against 41 other teams and 210 other golfers, the Harvard men’s golf team finished fifth in the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association Championships—but drove home knowing an even better finish had been within reach.

The Crimson, playing on the Captains Golf Course in Brewster, Mass., turned in its best result since a third-place finish in 2003.

Harvard’s depth and youth were on display as freshman Greg Shuman shot a 76 on Monday and then improved to 75 yesterday to lead the Crimson. Shuman’s total of 151 put him in a tie for 15th place out of 215 golfers.

“This is the deepest and most talented team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” captain Tom Hegge said. “Every time we send five guys out there, it’s a nice feeling to know everyone can play well.”

Sophomore Michael Shore and freshman Danny Mayer also had a strong tournament for Harvard. Shore tied for 22nd overall, scoring 76-77. Mayer finished in a tie for 34th place with a score of 77-79.

Hegge played well on Monday—his score of 75 tied with Shuman for the Crimson’s lowest round of the tournament—but he fell back to an 82 yesterday.

“I just had trouble really getting on a roll today with my putting and my wedges,” Hegge said. “From 60 yards and in is where the very best make their scores. It’s definitely an area where I can improve and get the extra two or three strokes that come with it.”

Freshman Peter Singh improved as the tournament went on, dropping five strokes yesterday to notch a score of 76 after opening with an 81.

“We were very pleased with our fifth-place finish, but we see room for improvement,” Hegge said. “We were a little disappointed in our play. We were only eight strokes out of second place, and that’s very reachable with four guys.”

Harvard has taken seven out of the eight golfers on the roster to tournaments this year and has used scores from each of those seven. So far, that depth has yet to translate into the desired results.

“This year, we’ve been lacking someone to really do well,” Hegge said. “We’ve had a lot of guys shooting two- or three-over, and we just need one guy to go low each round. Frankly, everyone on our team is capable of doing that, and so far nobody has.”

Hegge found himself unable to explain the Crimson’s inability to break through that barrier.

“We played basically about the same both days,” he said. “The course played a little tougher today, but the weather was fine so there were no big issues.”

After five tournaments, only Mayer has broken par for the Crimson. He shot a three-under 67 at the season-opening McLaughlin Tournament.

With the fall season now concluded, the Crimson looks forward to resuming play in the spring.

“We’re in good shape for the spring,” Shuman said. “We just need to capitalize on our opportunities. We have the potential to be a contender in the Ivy League.”