The Stevenson University men’s and women’s golf team regular season play has come to an end. This past weekend, both teams played for the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Championship held at Hershey Country Club. The women’s team finished second in the MAC, while the men were able to bounce back from a 14-stroke deficit to win by 16 strokes for their second straight MAC Commonwealth Championship.
This is the men’s third title since joining the MAC conference in 2012-13. Head coach Chris Ramer said he was very proud of how both of his teams performed.
“The spring time is the toughest part of the golf season,” said Stevenson junior Austin Fuglestad, who is also the oldest golfer on the team, which also includes one sophomore and nine freshmen. In the beginning of the spring season, the players are a little rusty but as the season progressed, the golfers got their strokes back.
“When I’m recruiting guys and girls to come golf at Stevenson,” said Ramer, “I’m looking for consistency in their game. If they golf a 78, I know they will score anywhere from 77-79, and that’s why we have been so successful this past five years.”
Ramer himself is a big reason why the team has been so successful the past five years, and he was named this year’s MAC Commonwealth men’s coach of the year.
“I’m honored to have won this award,” said Ramer, “but it’s not about me. The team is the reason why I won this. They are so determined and play as a family. Everyone has each other’s back, no matter what position we are in.”
Ramer gave an example. After the first day, when the team was down by 14 strokes, the players told him he could go back to the hotel, but that they were going to stay for another hour, to work on their chipping and putting for the next day’s round. Ramer said, “That kind attitude is the reason we were able to bounce back and win by 16 strokes.”
The team includes Fuglestad and freshmen Andrew Wally, Matthew Shur and Matthew Maione. Wally was named Rookie of the year. Fuglestad said, “I am very proud of the freshmen and how they handled the pressure. They showed great poise and just kept playing their game.”
Fuglestad, Shur, Maione, and Wally will be heading to the Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., to compete in the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship. from Tuesday, May 16, through Friday, May 19.
“Our goal is to do better than last year, when the team finished 31st overall. We can’t wait for this opportunity to compete against the best golfers from all around the country,” said Fuglestad.
The women’s golf season may not have ended the way they wanted to, coming in second after winning the title the past two years. But they have very big plans for next season.
Freshman Brynne Wiedeman said, “We did not play to the best of our capabilities, but overall it was a solid season. And next year we will have a lot of new freshmen which brings more potential, which I’m really looking forward to.”