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Second year coach
Mark Green returns a veteran squad with four juniors and a senior
looking to improve on their third place conference finish and fourth
place finish in the NAIA Region VIII tournament. Junior Spencer
Batt, an All-Conference and All-Region selection last season, led
the squad with his 77.35 average. Two other returning letterwinners
also posted season stroke averages in the 70s. Juniors Justin Imel
was just a half stroke behind Batt with his 77.85 average and
All-Conference player Ryan Bonner was at 77.90.
Coach Green also
added a solid recruiting class that will give the program depth that
it hasn’t had in a number of years. “This
is going to be a very different season for the HU golf program,”
said Coach Green. “Everyone is back from a very successful season
last year and we also have three very talented golfers coming in,
which will make our qualifying rounds very competitive in practice.”
Justin McMillen (Pana, IL) was a four year letterman
on his high school golf team. McMillen has played in several
Callaway Junior Golf Tournaments across the country during the
summer to prepare for his freshman year of golf. McMillen adds a
lot of depth to the HU golf team and could contribute in matches
right away.
Tyler Meck enters HU as a transfer from Southern
Plains Junior College in Texas. Meck will be playing on a college
golf team for the first time. As a self-proclaimed “golf junkie”
who has always loved the game, Meck is looking to keep his mid-70’s
average in check and hopes to break into the experienced lineup.
Cory Powell (Gas City, IN) played very well in his
golf tournaments this summer. Powell has demonstrated the ability
to consistently shoot in the 70s, so it will be interesting to see
if he can maintain that as a freshman. It’s possible that Powell
could solidify a Top Five spot this year, which could dramatically
improve the team scores on a regular basis.
The MCC has been dominated for many years by Marian
and Indiana Wesleyan.
This year’s squad appears poised ready to challenge those teams.
“It’s going to be exciting to see what this team can
accomplish in the always tough MCC,” said Green. “We think we have
what it takes to consistently compete at a high level, so it will be
interesting to see where we stand when the season is over.” |
