In 2010, the Swarthmore College golf team was plagued by rainy weather in the beginning of the spring and a lack of depth all season long. But with the return of its top three Centennial Conference performers from 2010 and a bevy of talented newcomers, the hope is that 2011 will be a turnaround season for the Garnet, with the squad setting its sights on battling for a conference title.
Under Coach Jim Heller, now in his sixth year, the Garnet have been steadily improving, and this trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Juniors Paul Weston and Alex Nichamin will head the team as co-captains and team leaders. As a freshman, Nichamin finished the season strongly, ending up third in the Centennial Conference Championships, which earned him a spot on the All-Conference Team. Last year, Weston, who was leading the CC Championships after the first day, earned All-Conference Honors himself, after finishing fifth overall. Both are looking to continue their individual success, and have high expectations for the team as a whole in 2011 as well.
The experience that Weston and Nichamin, who studied abroad in Scotland in the fall, have gained from competing at a high level in the tough Centennial Conference will be invaluable, as there are no seniors on the team this year. Kyle Krainock ’13, Jake Carter ’13, and Craig Pentrack ’13 will be returning as sophomores, and Alex Leichter ’12 will be back for his third year on the team.
After losing seniors Jeff Lazarus ’10 and Kelly Schoolmeester ’10, the Garnet will be a much younger team in 2011, with the addition of several talented freshmen looking to make immediate contributions, including Jeff Wall ’14, Sam White ’14, Kyle Knapp ’14, Price Ferchill ’14, Shreyas Ravi ’14, and Shen Wang ’14.
With so many players on the team, competition for the top spots is likely to be more intense than ever this year. The team has already gotten a jump start on the season by playing well in a few tournaments in the fall, including the Philadelphia University Tri-Match at the difficult Ace Club (Lafayette Hill, PA), in which Weston and Wall each shot 77 and earned co-medalist honors. Swat also played well at the second annual Swarthmore College Fall Invitational held at Rock Manor Golf Course (Wilmington, DE), finishing seventh out of 14 teams.
This spring, the Garnet will travel to Florida for a week in March, a break from the recent tradition of going to the Pinehurst Resort in NC. Once back on campus, the team starts competitive play immediately, with two home matches at the beautiful Rolling Green Golf Club (Springfield, PA), and the McDaniel Spring Invitational at The Bridges Golf Club (Abbottstown, PA) on March 26-27.
The season ends at the Centennial Conference Championships on April 29-30, being played again this year at Stonewall (Elverson, PA), and hosted by Ursinus College. The winning team earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships.