Bucknell University Athletics
Deep Bucknell Men's Golf Team Ready to Tee off 2012-13 Campaign
9/7/2012 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- If his team's 90-hole qualifying tournament is any indication, Bucknell head men's golf coach Jim Cotner is going to have quite the dilemma settling on a starting lineup each week throughout the 2012-13 season. Two freshmen finished in the top five of the qualifier, including runaway winner Like Edelman, and the co-runner-up was a sophomore trying to play his way on to the squad. Four different Bison posted a round in the 60s, and by the time the dust settled, Cotner was left with one of the deepest teams he's had in his 12-year tenure as head coach.
Bucknell kicks off its fall campaign this weekend at the Colgate Invitational at the Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y. Cotner is taking the top five finishers from the 90-hole qualifier to Colgate, and a look at who is not traveling may be a telling indicator of how strong the Bison could be this year. Pete Scialabba, the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year and runner-up at the PL Championship last spring, will not be headed to Hamilton. Nor will last year's team scoring leader and Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, senior J.J. Szmadzinski. Talented senior Jon Hartman will have to sit this one out as well. Of course Scialabba, Szmadzinski and Hartman are going to be critical parts of Bucknell's championship aspirations this year, but it points to the team's depth that some younger, less-heralded players start the year with their games in excellent shape.
Freshmen Edelman and Nick Geissler will both tee it up at Colgate, as will sophomore qualifier Zach Pogust, junior Schuyler Stitzer and senior Dan Bernard. Edelman shot 74-74-70-73-67 for a 90-hole total of 358, good for an 11-shot win. Geissler also finished strong with a 2-under 68 to earn the No. 5 spot. The best qualifying round came from Pogust, who fired a 5-under 65 in the fourth round. He tied for runner-up honors along with Bernard at 369. Bernard posted a first-round 68. Stitzer's best card was a finishing 71, giving him a fourth-place total of 371.
"From one through 10, this is the most depth we've had here in a long, long time," said Cotner, who led the Bison to Patriot League titles in 2006, 2007 and 2009. "We have a great group of guys who are here to play competitive golf. They are going to put the time in and they all want to show that they can compete. The scene at our practice facility in the afternoons is just great, and that is going to make for a fun and exciting year."
Bernard, Hartman and Szmadzinski comprise the team's senior class this season. All three have been key players since the start of their careers at Bucknell, and Cotner is counting on them for leadership both on and off the course.
"The three seniors have done a nice job trying to make the underclassmen feel like a part of a team," said Cotner. "The help that they have offered, the way they interact with them at the practice facility, the dinners they have organized, all of that goes a long way toward building a successful team. They all understand that they have to compete against one another to go to tournaments, but they also understand what it takes to be one strong unit. A team is only as strong as its weakest link."
Bernard posted a career-best 76.3 average last fall and turned in a top-10 finish at the Lehigh Invitational. In the spring he placed T-16th at the Patriot League Championship, and his game appears to be in fine form heading into the season.
"Dan has really matured as a player over the last four years, and he is someone that we expect to step up and be a leader both on and off the golf course," said Cotner. "I am looking for him to really focus on scoring this year, as opposed to trying to make a perfect golf swing. In the past he has sometimes gotten overly concerned with his swing and lost focus on the end result, which is getting the ball in the hole. He is a good, solid player, and if he can focus on one shot at a time, he will be even better."
Hartman has led the Bison in scoring average in three of the last four semesters. Last fall he averaged a team-best 75.4, and he was even better in the fall of 2010 with a 73.1, the second-best mark in program history. His best Patriot League finish was 16th in 2011.
"Jon had a very competitive summer internship that limited his play some, so we expect that it will take him a few weeks to get into the flow," said Cotner. "He will bounce back quicker than most, though, because he has a superb short game. All he has to do is be adequate in his ball-striking and he can post very good scores because he is so good around the greens. Jon also has excellent leadership qualities, especially with the younger guys."
Szmadzinski was a Capital One Academic All-District selection last spring in addition to the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and his 76.0 scoring average in the 2012 spring season was the best on the squad. He finished T-19th in his first Patriot League Championship appearance last season.
"J.J. is a terrific player, but he sometimes gets himself in trouble by trying to be perfect on each shot, and golf is not a game of perfect," said Cotner. "He wants to do so well all of the time, which is great, but there are going to be minor setbacks that even the very best players have to deal with. If he can accept those non-perfect shots and move on, he is going to score better and he is going to enjoy the game more. He has also done a very good job helping the younger guys learn the ropes."
Stitzer, Thomas Walter and Billy Wright comprise Bucknell's junior class. Stitzer has the most tournament experience of the three, but Walter and Wright are both rapidly improving players who could push their way into the lineup as the season progresses. In fact, Walter held a three-shot lead after opening with 72-72-71 in the team qualifier, but he had to stop after 54 holes due to an appendectomy.
Stitzer has been in the team's Patriot League Championship lineup in each of his first two seasons, finishing a team-best T-13th in 2011 and T-19th last year. The southpaw had two sub-par rounds and averaged 74.4 in the fall of his freshman year and has been a remarkably consistent player ever since.
"Schuyler is probably our most consistent scorer," praised Cotner. "His game is very well-rounded. He has a terrific short game and a very good sense of course management. When he puts it in play off the tee his game is as good as anyone in the league. Even though he is only a junior, Schuyler has a lot experience already, and he has been an excellent team leader along with the seniors. He sets a great example with his work ethic, and he has a very easy-going personality that makes him easy for the younger players to be around."
Walter pieced together some excellent rounds last season. He shot 75-73-71 at the Bucknell Invitational, and he carded 2-over 74s at the Cornell Invitational and the C&F Bank Intercollegiate at Kingsmill.
"Thomas was really a pleasant surprise with the way he started out in qualifying," said Cotner. "He has always been a good ball-striker with plenty of distance, but he has really developed a nice short game to go along with it, which should eliminate a lot of those peaks and valleys in his scoring."
Wright has appeared in four tournaments over the last two years. His best round was an opening 72 at the Bucknell Invitational last fall.
"Billy has worked as hard at his game over the last two summers as anyone on the team," said Cotner. "He has become a very good ball-striker. In the past he struggled with his short game due to a lack of confidence and some technical flaws. But he eliminated those this summer, and now he has that confidence back, especially in his putting."
Scialabba quickly burst onto the scene as a freshman last year, particularly during a terrific Patriot League Championship showing. He held the 18 and 36-hole leads after opening 69-72, and he ended up in second place behind Army's William Park after finishing with a 76. Scialabba averaged 76.2 last spring.
"Peter is a very solid player, and it's hard to find a weakness in his game," said Cotner. "He is consistent enough where we should always be using his score every week, and he has the ability to shoot some low scores. After his performance at the Patriot League Championship last year, he feels very comfortable playing at this level. He will not get rattled."
Pogust was one of five players in contention for the final team roster spot during the qualifying event, and it was not even a contest as Pogust shot 77-78-72-65-77. His 369 total was tied for second on the whole team, and it was the best by 28 strokes among the qualifying hopefuls. Pogust made one appearance last year, shooting 88-73-78 at the Bucknell Invitational.
"Zach came back this year and had to go through 90-hole qualifying to earn his spot on the team, and knowing that, he worked extremely hard this summer," lauded Cotner. "The proof was in the 65 that he posted in the fourth round. To have someone on the roster with the potential to go that low is just great. He is hitting the ball 25 yards farther off the tee than last year, and he is a much-improved putter. Zach is just playing very confident golf entering the season."
Edelman comes to Bucknell after a highly decorated prep career in New Jersey, where he won the Bergen County championship as a 14-year-old freshman at Saddle River Day School. He went on to win four sectional titles and was a three-time first team all-state selection.
"Luke is one of the most solid all-around players that we have had come into the program in several years," said Cotner. "He has no glaring weaknesses and works hard at all phases of the game. He has the potential to post a low score consistently, and he wants to be our No. 1 player."
Geissler's focus on the sport of golf came a bit later than some of his teammates, but he has rapidly improved in the last few years. The Lake Forest, Ill., native finished with a 68 in the qualifying tournament and will have a chance to show off his potential at Colgate in the season opener.
"Nick has a picture-perfect golf swing," said Cotner. "As he has gotten more and more comfortable in his surroundings, his scores have dropped considerably. The biggest adjustment for Nick so far is just feeling like he belongs, but the seniors have been a big help with that, and his scores are proof that he can play."
With the fall season just getting underway, there is still plenty of time to prepare for the Patriot League Championship next April at Saucon Valley. The Bison players are putting in the work, but Cotner hopes they will take some time to enjoy the process along the way.
"One of the ideas that we are pushing this year is to enjoy the journey," said Cotner. "Obviously our primary goal is to win the Patriot League Championship, but in the past few years we have been so focused on that one weekend in April that we have sometimes forgotten to enjoy the ride. Hopefully that mindset will have us better prepared in the long run."
