Men & women’s golf ready to face challenges ahead

Women’s Golf
The Seton Hill University (SHU) women’s golf team is finding much success this season having participated in three matches and finishing first in all three.
Men’s Golf
The Seton Hill University (SHU) men’s golf team began their season Friday September 9, competing in a tournament hosted by Ohio Valley University and located at the Woodridge Plantation Golf Club.


By Leslie Rodriguez,
Contributor
Women’s Golf
The Seton Hill University (SHU) women’s golf team is finding much success this season having participated in three matches and finishing first in all three.
Senior, Katie Geis, began the Griffins winning streak scoring 85 at the women’s first match against St. Vincent College at Mt. Odin Golf Course in Greensburg.
The following week SHU and St. Vincent squared off again in a rematch at the Glenngarry Golf Club where senior Ashley Welker ended the match with a winning score of 74.
Most recently the women won the Auld Collegiate Classic hosted by Ohio Dominican University at the Cumberland Trail golf course in Columbus, Ohio.
At the two day, six-team tournament the Griffins competed against Walsh University, Capital University, Ohio Dominican University, Malone College and Urbana University.
Coach Paul Dominic attributes the women’s win to the team’s will and determination.
�The most noticeable improvement with these girls is their work ethic. I think this comes from being upperclassmen and having the ability to focus on their goals better than before,� said Dominic.
The women’s win at the Auld Collegiate Classic was also due largely in part to the low scores shot by Ashley Welker, Ashley Winch and Lisa Hollick.
Welker shot a 79 on the second day of the tournament in order to secure the win and also took home medalist honors.
She feels that her game has evolved immensely since last season.
�My golf game has changed so much this year because of summer golf camp. I also have so much confidence in my teammates that it is relaxing to me, and I can just play my game,� Welker said.
This season the team is uniquely composed of five seniors and one junior, but this only adds to the team’s desire to win.
Lisa Hollick believes that the women can continue winning this year and that they just need to focus on one match at a time.
�We have been able to pull together so far and I think if we just keep our composure we will be fine. We are losing four of our five starting players due to graduation so next year but I�m excited to see what happens,� Hollick said.
According to Ashley Winch the women have every opportunity to go to national competition this year and are ready to face the many challenges that lay ahead of them.
�We�ve made a commitment to each other to do everything in our power to make that possible. We are optimistic for the next few weeks of winning. It might be a difficult road, but it is possible for us as a team,� said Winch.
The women’s next competition will be October 17, 2005, at the AMC Championships hosted by Notre Dame College.
Men’s Golf
The Seton Hill University (SHU) men’s golf team began their season Friday September 9, competing in a tournament hosted by Ohio Valley University and located at the Woodridge Plantation Golf Club.
Though the men placed 12th in this tournament they answered back quickly the following week by winning first place at the Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC) Invitational.
At this tournament, the men competed against teams from the University of Pittsburgh and WCCC. Coach Dan McCarty attributes the team’s success to dedication and hard work in the off-season.
�Most of the guys were training and playing during the summer. They are committed to working on their games and building off our limited successes of last year,� said McCarty.
The team is led this year by senior players, Landon Etchings, Dante Coilfi and Steve Zewe, who each helped to win the WCCC Invitational by shooting a 74, 76 and a 78.
Coach McCarty expressed that he expected the upperclassmen to make an immense contribution to the team this year.
�For many of them it’s their last chance at a conference title. I expect these guys to compete and go all out,� McCarty said.
Doug Wood, a transfer student from which the coaching staff has great expectations is also an asset to the team. He is gaining attention this season because of his ability to strike the ball.
There has also been the addition of four freshmen players that all have potential to do well according to Nick Langham, a senior team member.
�These guys [the freshmen] all have a chance at making some major contributions to the team now as well as in the future. It takes time before you can notice immediate changes in your game. If they keep practicing and striving to be better golfers it will happen,� said Langham.
The main goal for the team is to place in all of their fall and spring tournaments in order to prepare for the conference tournament at the Apple Valley Golf Club.
Sophomore, Dave Haynes believes that the team’s success will depend on their confidence and mental preparation prior to matches.
�We all need to be in the right mind set in order to bring our best games to the course. We have to remember that we are playing for ourselves and our team as a whole,� Haynes said.
The men’s next tournament is the Ocean City Nike Collegiate Classic, located in Maryland on October 14.
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