2011 Men's Golf Preview

Second-year Head Coach Kevin Allard hopes the Olivet College men's golf team can play the entire 2011 season the same way it started the 2010 season. The Comets got off to a fast start last year by winning its own season-opening tournament and the first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) jamborees. Olivet fizzled the rest of the season, as it placed lower than fourth at four of the last seven jamborees, which resulted in a disappointing fifth-place overall finish for the season.

Three of the top five golfers from last fall's starting lineup are back. Junior Justin Ardelean (Owosso) and sophomore Nick Julian (Clinton Twp./Chippewa Valley) both earned second-team All-MIAA honors and lead this trio. One stroke separated them in the league leaders, as Julian totaled 608 strokes for a 76.0 average, and Ardelean totaled 609 strokes for a 76.1 average. Ardelean was the medalist at the first league jamboree with a 69. Senior Cameron Sich (Frankenmuth) has also returned. He played in all eight MIAA rounds and averaged 78.8 strokes.

Other returning golfers are juniors Cody Crites (Owosso) and Ronnie Fesko (Henderson/Owosso), and sophomores Kevin Fields (Battle Creek/Harper Creek), Martin Holdren (New Bremen, Ohio) and Tyler Swinehart (Plainwell). These five golfers will challenge the others for time in the starting lineup.  All of them except Crites saw significant playing time last spring. Fesko had the most success, averaging 77.0 strokes over eight rounds.

This year's recruiting class includes Tylar Blosfield (Valparaiso, Ind.), Mitchell Garrison (Lansing/Waverly), Brandon Grube (Ceresco/Battle Creek Harper Creek), Jake Maas (Olivet), John Martenson (Trenton), Chas Mayo (Marshall) and Kory Roberts (Battle Creek/Lakeview).

"I am very pleased with this year's recruiting class," said Allard. "With the addition of these student-athletes and our returning golfers, I feel we will be extremely competitive not only this year, but also in the future."

Olivet hosts the Lou Collins Memorial Tournament Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2-3 at the Bedford Valley Country Club. The Comets then start MIAA play Sept. 8 when Albion College hosts the first of eight league jamborees at The Medalist Golf Club. Olivet welcomes the other league teams to Bedford Valley Sept. 14 for the third jamboree.

The MIAA school with the lowest cumulative score will win the MIAA championship. However, for the first time in league history, a 54-hole playoff will be played next spring to determine the league's representative for the 2012 NCAA Division III National Championships.