Future Bright For Championship Men's Golf Team
5/21/2015 10:35:00 AM | Men's Golf
Back from Sam Houston's second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division I men's golf regionals, head coach Brandt Kieschnick is pleased with what his Bearkat team accomplished during the 2014-15 season and looking forward to more success in the future.
In the team's 12 tournaments this year – all against top caliber NCAA Division I opponents – Sam Houston won three events, finished as runner-up three times and third once. The Bearkats earned both a second consecutive Southland Conference championships and trip to the NCAA Regionals.
The team also set a new scoring record with a team stroke average of 288.69 per round, more than a stroke lower than the previous school mark of 289.9 set in 1986-87.
“It was a great year,” Kieschnick said. “I knew we had a talented team. We set our goals high and we achieved them. We're pleased and humbled that we won three tournaments, ranked among the top 50 in the nation throughout the spring, successfully defended our Southland championship and went on to the regionals again.”
Seniors Zach Cabra, J. T. Taylor and Logan Boatner played important leadership roles for the 2014-15 Kats. Cabra and Taylor both were first team All-Southland Conference honorees and Boatner was named as all-league honorable mention.
In addition Cabra was named as Southland Conference “Student-Athlete of the Year.” He and Taylor both were Academic All-Southland selections as well.
“Zach, Logan and J. T. were just fantastic seniors for us,” Kieschnick said. “Zach and Logan played on the team that won conference and went to the Auburn regional last year. J. T. red-shirted last year, but joined us this season. All three provided solid leadership and brought experience and confidence to the team. With a freshman and a sophomore transfer in the line-up, the three seniors really helped the younger players mature quicker. They gave everyone the confidence that we could achieve our high goals. They will be sorely missed.”
Cabra won the Southland Conference individual medalist championship a year ago and Taylor took the individual title this year. Cabra finished his two seasons at Sam Houston with the program's lowest career stroke average (71.67).
Sam Houston's path to the NCAA Regionals this spring was a bit different from the Bearkats' first trip a year ago.
“Last year, we earned our berth at the Auburn regional by winning conference,” Kieschnick said. “It was pretty much last minute. But this spring, with our national ranking, we pretty much knew we were going to regionals since February. We made a goal to lock up regionals and we did it early.
“The anticipation was nice. The Olympic Course at Gold Mountain in Bremerton, Washington, was a great course and it was a fantastic experience for the team. It was different weather and different grasses and we got behind the eight ball early. Next year, we need to go into regionals playing to win every day.”
Sam Houston's back-to-back Southland champions ended a 20-year drought without a league title for the Bearkat program. The two trips to the NCAA Division I regionals were Sam Houston's first as a team.
“It's amazing to see just how far this program has come since I came here two years ago as a transfer,” Cabra said. “This program has improved not just in terms of how every has played but how mature everybody on the team is and how much they want to win.”
With three seniors to replace, Kieschnick's focus now turns to recruiting.
“Jake McCrory and Andrew Ertel are back from the team that went to Washington and we're focused on bringing more talented players into the program,” Kieschnick said. “Our seniors have built a tremendous foundation for this program. We're excited about what's next.”
