2008 Woodie Awards
Eagles pinning golf success on a mix of rookies and vets
Emily Pickart
Issue date: 3/23/06 Section: Sports
"Fore." That's the sound that may be heard from the Kirkwood Community College men's golf team as their season gets underway.
The Eagles have three returning sophomores who competed at last year's National Tournament where Kirkwood finished 10th in the nation. Returning players include Cedric Bertin, Chris James and Brook Maher. Sophomore T.J. Redding and freshmen Justin DeGraff and Jeff Giza are also on the team this year.
Kirkwood had a 68-4 record last year and they placed first in all tournaments except one where they finished fourth. With half the team already having National Tournament experience, Coach Darin Pint said he expects the team to improve on last year's standings.
"I have high expectations this year because we're coming off a 10th place finish in the National Tournament last year and we have three of those players coming back this year. I'm looking forward to it as we have about six or seven guys competing for the top five spots. I also expect them to compete day in and day out. We need to come with the mindset to get better everyday. We expect them to win the region and qualify for the National Tournament," Pint said.
Not only does Pint want the team to qualify, he said he hopes for them to finish the season on a higher note than last year. "I hope we will play well and finish higher, possibly in the top five," Pint said.
Maher concurs with his coach about the higher expectations. "We have great experience and great depth with Cedric, T.J. and Chris all coming back." Maher said.
With last year's success comes a comfort zone for the team as well.
"There's definitely a learning curve, we know what to expect this year [for competition] and we know what level the college game is at and the level we need to be at to compete," Maher said. "First we'd like to win every regular season tournament and then go to the National Tournament where we want to perform better than last year," Maher added.
The golfers began preparing for the 2006 season Jan. 17. They lift weights twice a week and also hit balls twice a week at the Rec. Center.
Kirkwood's first tournament will be the Central College Invite, March 24-25 in Pella. Hunter's Ridge Golf Course in Marion will be the site for the Regional Tournament on May 7-9. The National Tournament will be held at the Goose Pond Colony Golf Course in Scottsboro, Ala., May 23-26.
The Eagles have three returning sophomores who competed at last year's National Tournament where Kirkwood finished 10th in the nation. Returning players include Cedric Bertin, Chris James and Brook Maher. Sophomore T.J. Redding and freshmen Justin DeGraff and Jeff Giza are also on the team this year.
Kirkwood had a 68-4 record last year and they placed first in all tournaments except one where they finished fourth. With half the team already having National Tournament experience, Coach Darin Pint said he expects the team to improve on last year's standings.
"I have high expectations this year because we're coming off a 10th place finish in the National Tournament last year and we have three of those players coming back this year. I'm looking forward to it as we have about six or seven guys competing for the top five spots. I also expect them to compete day in and day out. We need to come with the mindset to get better everyday. We expect them to win the region and qualify for the National Tournament," Pint said.
Not only does Pint want the team to qualify, he said he hopes for them to finish the season on a higher note than last year. "I hope we will play well and finish higher, possibly in the top five," Pint said.
Maher concurs with his coach about the higher expectations. "We have great experience and great depth with Cedric, T.J. and Chris all coming back." Maher said.
With last year's success comes a comfort zone for the team as well.
"There's definitely a learning curve, we know what to expect this year [for competition] and we know what level the college game is at and the level we need to be at to compete," Maher said. "First we'd like to win every regular season tournament and then go to the National Tournament where we want to perform better than last year," Maher added.
The golfers began preparing for the 2006 season Jan. 17. They lift weights twice a week and also hit balls twice a week at the Rec. Center.
Kirkwood's first tournament will be the Central College Invite, March 24-25 in Pella. Hunter's Ridge Golf Course in Marion will be the site for the Regional Tournament on May 7-9. The National Tournament will be held at the Goose Pond Colony Golf Course in Scottsboro, Ala., May 23-26.