Johnnie golf tees off into the 2025 fall season with an away stretch

A new season has begun for the St. John’s University golf team, and the Johnnies are determined to make a run at the MIAC Championship. SJU returns a solid veteran core headlined by a trio of reigning All-MIAC selections. Senior Tim Fultz is back after earning All-MIAC honors last season, finishing fourth at +1 in last fall’s MIAC Championship. Senior Ethan Kress also returns following an All-MIAC campaign. Sophomore Gavin Grahek looks to build on an impressive rookie season. One of just two first-year golfers to earn All-MIAC recognition, Grahek tied for ninth at +8 at the MIAC Championship. Last fall, the Johnnies tied for second with Bethel at the MIAC Championships and recorded their fourth-best scoring average in program history: 296.0 over 24 rounds.

“It has been great to get back with all my teammates and coaches so far this fall,” Kress said via email. “Heading into the fall season, I was super excited to see what we could do as a team, most of the guys from last year got some excellent reps and experience between the previous fall and spring.”

While Kress noted how he has improved his short game during the off-season, he also explained that the team will be better if they all continue to stay resilient.

“The one thing we need to continue to do as a team is to be resilient and process-oriented, if we do that, we will see more and more success on the course,” Kress said.

Kress is confident that this season, SJU has what it takes to contend with the best in the MIAC.

“If we stay in the moment in terms of being process-oriented and not outcome-oriented, along with continuing to get a little better every day, we will have a good chance at bringing home the MIAC Championship this fall,” Kress said.

Most recently, SJU competed at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational, where Grahek shot a 69–72 to finish -1 and earn a first-place finish. For his performance, Grahek was named MIAC Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week. As a team, the Johnnies placed third out of 22 competing teams. Junior Nate Appelhof, the lone junior on the SJU golf team, followed Grahek, tying for 27th at +9. The Johnnies will need to fill the void left by Andrew Boemer, who graduated after a standout career that included three All-MIAC selections. Boemer also competed in the NCAA Championship last spring. First-year Austin Roloff and senior Gus Briguet both were a part of the scoring five at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational. First-year Lukas Ehmke has also seen time in the scoring five this fall.

“The team is very close, and we all have the same goal of wanting to compete for each other, which has made us a very focused group since the season started,” Kress said. “Over the past few weeks, the motivation and the urge to have success have been at an all-time high.”

After a summer full of individual tournaments, Kress said he’s looking forward to getting back to team competition.

“Competing with my amazing teammates and playing for something bigger than myself, in the summer, it’s all individual tournaments, which are good reps for me, but don’t have the environment that team golf does,” Kress said.

While many may look towards personal accomplishments on the course, Kress is focused on his number one priority: helping the team succeed in any way possible.

“A personal goal of mine is to do everything possible to contribute to the team’s success, because the team’s success means far more than individual accolades,” Kress said.

Kress also stated that the team’s biggest goal is to win the MIAC Championship so they can receive an automatic bid into the national tournament, which is held in the
spring as golf is both a fall and spring sport.

The Johnnies will host the SJU Fall Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 20 and Sunday, Sept. 21. The following weekend, the MIAC Championship will take place from Saturday, Sept. 27, through Monday, Sept. 29.