OKLAHOMA CITY -- Each Monday for the next four weeks, we will be previewing each Fall sport at Mid-America Christian University. To kick things off, we look at the Evangel Golf squad for this season.
In his third season heading the Mid-America Christian University Evangels Men's Golf program, head coach
Roman Owen will lean heavily on newcomers to field a competitive squad for the 2012-13 campaign. The current roster boasts six true freshmen and one sophomore in
Michael Brinkley. The only upperclassmen are senior
Jacob McElhany (Noble, Okla.) and junior
Tyler Montgomery (Oklahoma City, Okla.). So while this season will clearly be a learning process for the Evangels, the chances of program stability and growth are evident.
"All these kids love golf and each one has been in my ear all summer about practice time and getting on the course and working on their game," Owen said. "I feel comfortable knowing these younger kids are hungry to have an opportunity to shine."
McElhany appears poised to have a strong senior season after helping the Evangels to consecutive fourth-place and third-place showings at the MACU Invitational and the OBU Fall Invitational last September. McElhany shot a 150 at the MACU tourney to wind up tied for 11th overall and then came back at OBU with a 158 to finish tied for 13th overall.
Montgomery then showed flashes of his development at the Sooner Athletic Conference Championship tournament in the spring by finishing second on the team and tied for 40th overall with a 242.
"Jake was one of the more consistent golfers last year and him and I are both looking for him to carry that through into this year," Owen said. "If he can get his driver on point, he has a chance to do some special things."
"Tyler has grown tremendously and will be the oldest player on our squad this year, so I'm looking to him for maturity on and off the course."
In addition to Brinkley, the six freshmen that will look to make an impact are Cameron Pierce (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Chase Ruiz (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Daniel Copeland (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Jared McElhany (Blanchard, Okla.), Josh Stevens (Mustang, Okla.) and Ryan Harris (Oklahoma City, Okla.). A couple of the newcomers add a level of intrigue within the team and the MACU campus. The addition of Jerod McElhany means he will be paired with his brother Jacob for one season on the squad. Also, Chase Ruiz is the son of current MACU Volleyball head coach Craig Ruiz.
The Evangels will again open up the fall season at the Southwestern Christian University tournament on Sept. 4-5 at Lake Hefner Golf Course in Oklahoma City. After participating in the Central Christian College tournament from Sept. 10-11 in McPherson, Kan., the Evangels will host the MACU Tournament for the second straight season on Sept. 24-25 at Earlywine Golf Course in OKC. The Evangels will play in the OBU Tournament on Oct. 8-9 in Shawnee, Okla. before wrapping up the fall schedule at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament on Oct. 20 in Panama City Beach, Fla.
"We feel we have good balance in our schedule for each golfer to improve but also to prepare as a team and attempt to qualify for the NCCAA National Tournament," Owen said. "We are especially excited to host the 2nd annual MACU Golf Classic."
