After finishing the first day of the Lone Star Conference Championship 16 strokes ahead of second-place Abilene Christian with a score of 589, the men’s golf team was able to capture gold with a score of 874 at the end of the tournament, 29 strokes ahead of second place Abilene Christian University, who finished with 903.

“The guys all year have made it clear that nothing short of a ring at conference is what we wanted,” Jeremy Leguen, junior in marketing, said. “I’ve fallen short my first two years, but I believe that we’re the best team in the conference. Every time, we tee it up and play our best golf –  no one can hang with us in the LSC.”

Redshirt freshman Santiago Gomez led after the first day with a score of 141, followed closely by sophomore Derek Oland in third place with a score of 148.

Gomez captured first place with a score of 209, while Oland tied for third place with a score of 217.

Rounding out the team’s championship effort were Leguen, who tied for ninth with with a score of 220, senior Antonio Herran, who tied for fourteenth with a score of 231 and freshman Ian Gallagher, placing 25th with a score of 241.

Preparing for the season

Despite making it to the regional tournament during the 2011-2012 season, the men’s team was not satisfied with placing ninth to end their season early and looked to do everything they could to make sure they didn’t repeat the same mistakes.

“We kind of struggled a little bit coming down the stretch (last year),” Leguen said. “But we ended up going to the regional tournament. That’s always a good thing for the program, but we also struggled at regionals and didn’t get out to the national tournament, so that’s something we looked to build on for this season.”

According to Leguen, practice habits were changed heavily for the team this season. The biggest difference was head coach Jeff Ray allowing the players to work more as individuals as a team.

“Coach Ray let us practice on our own a little more, and he let us work on what we needed to individually as opposed to team workouts,” Leguen said. “We’re always out there working. It’s not just us hitting a bag of balls and then leaving. It’s always hard work and grinding it out.”

Overcoming age

The biggest change between seasons, however, was not practice habits or the success the team has had, but rather the age of the team.

Leguen is the only junior on the team, and Herran and Raine Copeland are the only two seniors on the team, leaving five underclassmen (three freshman and two sophomores) to make up the rest of the team.

“It’s actually worked out really well,” Leguen said. “I feel like we’re well beyond our years.”

Leguen, who is serving his third year on the team, has played every tournament since he was a freshman. He said he feels the experience he’s gained from playing has helped him relate to and lead the younger players on the team.

The season

Once the 2012-2013 season started, in fact, it became apparent that age was nothing but a number for the golf team.

The fall did not start off so well with a string of lower-placed finishes for the team in their first three tournaments.

“The fall was definitely brutal,” Leguen said. “We came out pretty excited and we had a team with a lot of talent, but we just couldn’t produce in the fall.”

The team was able to bounce back from the rough start, picking up their first top-three finish on November 5-6 at the The Classic Hosted by Texas A&M-Commerce.

This play from the team continued into the New Year, where the team finished in the top-three in every tournament they’ve played in so far, including a third-place finish at the Dallas Baptist Classic on April 8-9, second place finishes at the Incarnate Word Invitational on February 18-19 and the Las Vegas Desert Classic on March 3-4 and first place finishes at the Falconer Golf Classic on March 11-12 and the MSU Invitational March 18-19.

“When spring rolled around, we got to work and we got on a roll,” Leguen said. “It’s funny how golf works with momentum. Sometimes it’s just all about doing the right things at the right time. It’s kind of cool to tee up with your team and know that you have a chance to win.”

Awards and Accolades

The success the men had on the green quickly transferred into awards and accolades.

Gomez’s first collegiate tournament win at the MSU Invitational led to him being named the LSC player of the week on March 21, while Oland was named to the All-LSC first team with his 73.65 scoring average for the year. Oland’s play led him to a first-place tie at the Las Vegas Desert Classic, and a second place finish at the Incarnate Word Invitational after dropping a one-hole playoff with Incarnate Word’s Austin Jordan.

Herran and Leguen rounded out the awards for the men, earning spots on the honorable mention list.

Looking past the LSC

Despite the first-place finish for the men, they have much bigger goals in sight, starting with a regional tournament bid in which the team is currently ranked third.

“As far as after the LSC, we’ve got a regional bid, so we’re going to DuPont, Washington,” Leguen said. “There, you have to get top five to go to nationals, and we feel that we’re a strong candidate to do that. When you get to the national tournament, it’s anyone’s ball game.”

Leguen said to ensure for a successful national tournament run, the team will look to continue their work ethic and look to do the best they can.

“Everyone is good there, and it’s about who is hot and who is going to be able to make the most putts,” Leguen said.