After stumbling towards the end of the fall season, the men’s golf team are looking forward to a successful spring season.

In the fall, the golf team began the season with three straight first place finishes. By the end of the season, the group faltered, their worst placing being 12^th out of 18 teams.

Coach Justin Tereshko says the biggest thing to take away from the fall season is to work on eliminating the mistakes they made. He wants his team to be able to start and finish tournaments effectively. This affects their placement the most since some tournaments last five to six hours a day.

Although first-year Bradley Calloway is still adapting to the atmosphere and expectations surrounding the golf team, he says that he enjoys playing on a team with high potential. It allows him room for improvement, where he believes coach Tereshko is guiding him well and helping him overcome his challenges.

“Coach is more of a mental guy,” said Calloway. “When it comes down to a hole where I feel pressured to hit the shot, he is there for me to think confidently so I am able to hit the shot to the best of my ability.”

Sophomore Zachary Evens is a key player for the men’s golf team, coming out of the fall season having the best stroke average on the team of 71.5. Evens is one of the top players in Division III, but he says that individual accolades are not his first concern.

“Although I played really well, I believe there is still a lot to accomplish, not just individually, but as a team as well,” said Evens. “I want to help our team the best way I can by playing the best golf I can.”

Lone senior Harrison Frye says he speaks for the team when it comes to knowing what they need to do to accomplish the same success as last year. The golf team came close to winning the NCAA Division III Championships, but lost the lead to Wittenberg University within the last couple holes, finishing with second place.

“Everyone on the team is aware of what it takes to get us there,” said Frye. “The way we played in the fall, we had that mentality for the first couple tournaments. I think it will be important to keep focused on our overall goal and stay mindful of it at all times.”

Sophomore Terence Schmutz says he enjoys the competitive drive that comes from everyone and loves to compete against his teammates. He says that he is looking forward to success for the years to come because of the work coach Tereshko is accomplishing.

“I feel like we can do it again next year and the next two years I am here,” Schmutz said. “Hopefully we can have something like that for a while because coach is doing a really great job in getting good players to come.”

As Frye enters his final season with the Guilford men’s golf team, he is looking forward to helping his team achieve success. He says it’s strange being the only senior this year because when he was a first-year, there were five seniors. However, Frye says he knows the team does not need a vocal leader.

“We have some very mature guys on the team, they have played a lot of golf and know what they are doing,” said Frye. “I don’t think I have to do much, but it is my responsibility to use the experiences I’ve had to keep everybody aware of what our goals are and how to achieve them.”

The men’s golf team enter the season ranked 11th in Bushnell/Golfweek NCAA Division III Coaches Poll. Their first competition is on March 3 in an exhibition bout with St. Andrews University at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club. The next week, on March 9, the team begins division play, going up against Husson University at Bonita Springs, Florida.