SXU Athletics
The men’s golf season is officially over, but that doesn’t mean they’re taking a break.
The men will continue to practice in order to be properly prepared for tournaments in the spring.
“From now until our first tournament in March, we will focus mainly on strength and conditioning but also work on swing mechanics,” said head coach Mike Mandakas.
The men wrapped up their fall season with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Midwest Classic. The event took place in Silvis, Illinois, on Oct. 13 and 14.
The 19 teams at the tournament experienced a rain delay on the 13th, but they were able to resume play on the 14th.
After taking 15th place after the first day, the Cougars finished the tournament in 14th place with a combined two-day score of 636.
The first day of play, which consisted of 18 holes, the men shot a 323, followed by a 313 on the second day of the tournament.
The men fell short of Grand View University by 53 strokes; Grand View won the tournament with a score of 583 (294, 289).
Individual scores were within their usual range for the Cougars this fall season.
Junior Kyle Bahnick led his team once again with a two-day score of 156 (77, 79), earning him a tie for 46th place out of a total of 96 golfers, even though he was on track for 34th place after the first day of play.
Freshman Michael Perez tied for 58th place, shooting a 159 (80, 79).
Sophomore Kyle Yaeger shot a 160 (83, 77), which landed him a tie spot for 61st place, while fellow sophomore Robert Lively took 64th place with a two-day score of 161.
Mark Kluk, another sophomore, scored a 171 (90, 81), putting him in a tie for 87th place.
“We are a little disappointed with the results from the fall tournaments,” said Mandakas. “I feel that we are a better team than we showed this fall.”
This fall was a learning experience for the team, as well as Mandakas.
After graduating their strongest players last spring, the team has been struggling to get back on track.
“After losing our core golfers a year ago to graduation,” said Mandakas, “we have struggled to fill the roles that we lost. We aren’t as talented as we were a year ago, but we have some very talented golfers on the team that need to work harder to improve.”
As long as the team continues to stick together, has fun with each other and strives for their best, everything should fall into place for them by the time the spring season rolls around.
“[My teammates] all drive me crazy at times, but I feel all families are like that, and I think that’s what we are: a family,” said Bahnick about how his team jokes around with each other.
“I am thankful for my teammates,” he continued.
It also seems that the men’s golf team receives support from other athletic teams at SXU.
“My favorite part about SXU has been the camaraderie between the students, especially the athletes. I think most athletes and coaches keep tabs on all sports and genuinely want everyone to perform well and succeed. It is just a nice thing to give and receive support from others,” said Bahnick.
Mandakas is already looking ahead to next fall, with the addition of a few new players.
“We have a talented incoming class of 2015 that will supplement our current team, but I feel that our current team has enough talent to make it back to the national championship this spring,” said Mandakas.
Last spring, the Cougars won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Championship title for men’s golf, earning them a spot in the NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship.
The team hopes to go down the same path this upcoming spring.
Besides the possibility of a repeat of last year, there are other things that are on the Cougars’ minds.
“I am looking forward to our spring break trip to Arizona, as we play in a very good tournament with some good teams,” said Mandakas.
The team will resume play in March during spring break.
Alexis Flamburis
Sports Correspondent
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