It seems that the small sports get overlooked on this campus, yet these teams are doing a tremendous job, and certainly should be recognized for their hard work and accomplishments. The golf team has been winning tournaments consistently during the fall/spring season. As a team, they have won four tournaments and have had many individual medalists, which are individual wins. First to know is how scoring goes in golf. The lower the score, the better. In team competition, there are five people who compete and of those five, the best four scores are used to compile the team score. West Chester University has 10 players, and seven of those 10 have average scores in the 70s. Last semester is when the golf team’s season started. They started the season off strong by winning the ECAC II Golf Championships, which were held in Massachusetts. At that tournament, there were 14 colleges and universities competing. Not only did West Chester have an impressive team, but also an impressive individual. Nick Parise, who is a senior, was runner-up for this tournament.
Along with winning the ECAC II Golf Championships, the team has been showing its abilities all over. Back in September, West Chester won the Lesley Tournament, with Patrick Politan, who is a junior, being a medalist. Politan also was the medalist for the Franklin and Marshall Tournament, which the team also won. This tournament was also held in September. At Goldey Beacom, the team took home another win, along with junior John Brown being a medalist.
A major tournament for West Chester’s team was the 33rd Annual Camp Lejeume Collegiate Invitational, which was held late March. At this invitational, the team received the Scarlet Trophy, while Nick Parise was the medalist. Parise was three under par, with a score of 67. According to Sports Information, “WCU finished ahead of PSAC foes Millersville, IUP, and Slippery Rock, and was just four shots behind Clarion.”
To finish out the year, West Chester University’s golf team took fourth place at the PSAC Championships. Two players finished in the top 10, giving them All-Conference Honors. Junior Nathan Fry took eighth, while Jared Miller, a freshman, finished second. This is their first year playing golf for West Chester University.
The most impressive aspect of the golf team is the intelligence that comes with the players. Each season, 26 All-American Scholar Athlete Awards are given throughout the country to athletes in Division II. This award is a combination of players’ scoring averages and their grade point averages. Last season, 2002-2003, Joe Rattigan received this award as a junior. This year, West Chester does not have just one, but two individuals receiving this award. Politan and Brown will both be recipients. This is extremely notable for the golf team. It shows that not only are the athletes incredible at playing golf, but they are amazing in the classroom, as well. These individuals show what the meaning of being an athlete is.
The golf team will be losing a few people from the roster, but it will also be bringing in some new people to add to the team. Two seniors, Joe Rattigan and Nick Parise, will be graduating in May and leaving the team. While their excellence in playing and leading will be missed, it certainly won’t be forgotten. Coach Maurer predicts that next year’s team will be “just as good of a team as this year.” The team will be receiving three new players for next season. One is a transfer, another a recruit, and the other a walk-on. Hopefully with these three new players, the golf team will do just as well as this year, if not better.
This year’s team has some very good athletes who show great potential for next year. With John Brown and Patrick Politan being medalists at three tournaments, they show great probability for displaying their excellent skills and leadership. Not only does the team have two juniors who show prospect, but the two athletes who received All-Conference Honors have good likelihood of becoming key players on the team. Nathan Fry and Jared Miller proved themselves to be vital players for the team with the honors.