SJU Golf wins second consecutive MIAC championship

The SJU golf team recently won the MIAC Championship for the second consecutive year. A new head coach lead them to victory this year.

“This was the first year Coach [Michael] Whitlock has coached us; he took over Bob Alpers’ position. Winning the MIAC championship his first year coaching this team is awesome,” said senior Joe Abdo.

Coach Whitlock has been a big hit amongst the players and is filling former Coach Alpers’ big shoes.

Both the players and the coahces are credited for this recent championship after the work they put in this season.

“This year we were ready and better than last year. Our top three guys are sophomores and worked hard at practice,” Abdo said.

The hard work at practice paid off, resulting in a championship win.

“I would credit the amount of time and work each person on the team put in. Our coaches are willing to do anything to help us succeed and each guy works hard at improving every day. Many good players on our team creates a lot of competition in practice that contributes to our successes as well,” said sophomore Thomas Gutzmer.

Former head coach Bob Alpers had nothing but positive things to say about the team’s successes this year.

“They’ve got one big meet left where they have the chance to play some big national competitors. They will play the best in the nation, and they are young and hungry for victory. There are a number of really good
players, and I don’t know if they could have done a lot better this season. They are well coached, talented, and hard workers,” Alpers said.

Winning the MIAC is a huge accomplishment, and Alpers put into perspective just what this means.

“It’s a huge accomplishment. We’ve had thirteen wins in the past twenty years. Our conference is really good and winning against them is a huge deal. Knowing you are one of the first qualifiers for the NCAA tournament in the spring gives you a lot of time to prepare. I am really proud of them, and I think they can win it all,” Alpers said.

The team’s chemistry has remained strong through their wins, despite having a relatively young team this year.

“I would say team chemistry has returned this year. Last year COVID made it difficult for our entire team to
build connections, and we’ve been able to improve that this year with some return to normality. It was definitely an adjustment after losing a handful of important seniors last year,” Gutzmer said.

The SJU Golf team is proud of their accomplishments, and they are ready for the spring season.

“It is a great feeling to win back-to-back MIAC championships. To see some goals being met by a lot of time and hard work from our team is exciting and makes us push to be better. I think last year’s win at the MIAC championship really opened our eyes to how good we could be, and we’ve come to raise our self-expectations. Although we have some more goals ahead of us, it is important to acknowledge successes and celebrate your accomplishments,” Gutzmer said.

SJU will be participating in the NCAA Championship in Florida this spring, the date and time have yet to be determined.