The collegiate golf season is unique in that it is split into two separate parts: early fall and early spring. In the fall portion of the season, the V-Hawks found early success placing top ten in every meet, placing top five in three of those meets and even bringing home the first-place finish in one of those meets. With the spring season beginning, the V-Hawks look to carry over this success and compete to win the three tournaments they will play in the spring.
The spring season started in Enid, Oklahoma, for the Oakwood Collegiate Invitational Tournament hosted by the Kansas Wesleyan Men’s Golf Team on March 18 and 19. Over the three-day tournament, the V-Hawks finished with a total score of 956, (323, 321, 312), adding up to 104 strokes over par.
Individually, the V-Hawks also succeeded. Senior Owen Bernstorf came in at the top with a score of 81 in the first round and a pair of 77’s over rounds two and three. Sophomore Ethan Thomas shot an opening round 78 then followed it up with a second round 82 while improving back to an 80 in round three. Senior Nick Tennis was consistent with his scoring, shooting an 81, 80, and 81. Another senior Andy Odom shot an 89 in round one but quickly rebounded and shot a pair of 82’s over the next two rounds. Finally, first-year Ben Biskupski began the tournament with an 83 and 84 over the first two rounds but bounced back tremendously in the third round shooting a 74(+3) making it the best single round for the V-Hawks in this tournament.
When Biskupski was asked about what he did to make this change mid tournament he responded, “I stopped thinking about my swing so much, and I just swung away. This led to better ball striking in my game all around.” In addition to the tournament, when he was asked about his favorite part of the trip he stated, “My favorite part of the trip was getting to spend quality with my team, whether it was on the course, in the car, or in the hotel.”
With their next tournament coming up on April 12 and 13 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and a trip to nationals on the line at the NSAA Conference Meet at the end of April, the V-Hawks hope to succeed like they have all year and finish their season to the fullest.
