Written by Lauren Bucher
Early this week, the Bison golf teams competed in tournaments, teeing off an auspicious season.The men began the season in Abilene, rallying from 14th after the first day of play to finish 11th of 18, while the women began at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla., finishing sixth in a pool of 16.”This season we have the toughest tournament schedule we have ever had,” sophomore Blake Chase, captain of the men’s team, said. “I believe this will work to our advantage as we will be playing some of the best schools in the nation. I feel that we can be very competitive in this schedule.”The men’s golf team has six returning players: juniors Bruce McMullen, Tyler Parsons and Dustin Richter, and sophomores Chase, Ryan Hadash and Lewis Jackson. Lucas Collins, Evan Greenwood and Jordan Perry are the freshmen additions, making a team of 10. Laurence Frampton, a freshman walk-on, will red-shirt this year.”I expect the Bisons to be a serious contender this year in postseason play; last year we had our best finish at the conference tournament, and we are looking to once again improve our standing in the conference,” Chase said.Dustin Howell, the men’s coach, said that he is spearheading a project to add a golf green to the GAC. The green would be approximately the size of a racquetball court, and he estimated that the project would be completed by the end of the semester. The green would be solely for use of the golf team.Howell said the court would be an advantageous move for the team, allowing the players to practice through the winter, regardless by weather conditions.As for the Lady Bisons, the team signed Rebecca Godman, a sophomore transfer student from the University of Missouri. All other players are veterans from last year, and the addition of Godman to the team brings the total number of players to six. “We are looking forward to a good season this year with everyone returning and a good addition to our team; we should have a strong fall season,” senior Ragan Muncy, the team captain, said. “Last year we were able to compete among the top teams in the conference, and I expect we will be able to do even better in the 2010-11 season.”Dr. Nicky Boyd, head coach of the women’s team, said that last year the team had a strong season and predicted that the team will continue to improve. Last year, the team won the Natural State Golf Classic, the UWG Invitational and the Bison Fall Golf Classic, winning three out of the nine total tournaments in which the Lady Bisons participated.”Everyone is back from last year, and the returning players will have improved a little over the summer, which makes the team just a little better,” Boyd said. “We have high hopes for the season.”Both teams will participate in the Bison Fall Classic, which will be hosted in Searcy at the River Oaks Golf Course Sept. 20-21.
