With the hot summer months coming to a close, golf season is fast approaching for the Braves’ men’s and women’s golf teams.
The men are coming off a much-improved end of the 2014 campaign, in which they ultimately tied for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship.
The Braves men lost their #1 and #2 seed golfers from last season, seniors Danny Masrin and Seth Trolia, respectively. Head coach Jeff Roche said although Masrin and Trolia are big losses, there are golfers on the team ready to step up.
“It’s tough anytime you lose your #1 and #2 golfers who have been with the program for four years,” Roche said. “Those are roles that need to be filled. But we’ve got guys returning, and new, that have been gearing themselves up to fill those spots.”
Lyle Burns and Garrett Cox are the two returning seniors for Bradley. Both had a busy summer consisting of a lot of golf, including competing in the Illinois State Amateur Championship in Springfield in mid-July.
“[Burns and Cox] are not only leaders on the golf course, but also off the course,” Roche said. “Their leadership ability will be a huge factor going forward with developing their own games and helping develop everyone else on the team.”
Junior Zach Jewell joined Burns and Cox at the Illinois State Amateur Championship, as well as competing in the Illinois Open in Crete, Illinois. Junior Bobby Jacobs and sophomores Matthew Specht and Daniel Lensing also return for the Braves. Sam Range and Drake Bushong are the incoming freshmen.
According to Roche, both Range and Bushong bring an abundance of tournament success and experience.
“If we can take it one shot at a time, one day at a time, then the rest of the game will take care of itself,” Roche said.
On the women’s side, the team that finished fifth in the MVC Conference Championship last year will be a familiar one in 2015, as it did not have any graduating seniors.
The returning seniors for the Braves are Danielle Lemek, Jenna Roadley and Allison Walsh.
Head coach Mary Swanson said the three seniors will be the top three seeds during the season.
Lemek all ready has a storied career in her time at Bradley. She was named MVC Newcomer of the Year during her freshman year and MVC Golfer of the Year during her sophomore and junior campaigns. Roadley and Walsh will also add experience for the Braves.
“I expect to see the seniors reach their full potential this season,” Swanson said. “Danielle should contend for Golfer of the Year again for the third straight year. Roadley really began to click towards the end of last season and should carry that success over to this season. Walsh has consistently been one of our core members throughout her whole career. They’ve all learned a lot over the past three years and will hopefully put it all together this season.”
Through the first few practices, Swanson said that there has been great competition for the next seeds after the seniors.
Battling for those seeds are returning sophomores Grace Henderson, Ally Scaccia and Abby Wellens, and incoming freshmen Chloe Horton, Frankie Saban, Sydney Shaw and Brooke Thompson.
“The freshmen all had great summers and are working hard,” Swanson said. “Once they gain more experience and get more comfortable with the program, they’re going to be real contenders.”
The women begin tournament action Sunday at the Redbird Invitational at Illinois State University, while the men’s first tournament is the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13.
