Preview video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?
2015-2016 Heart Finish: 4th of 11
Letterwinners returning/lost: 5/4
Notable returners:
Frederik Lundsgaard Jr. Jebjerg, Denmark
(Letterwinner, 75.8 avg., low of 71)
Brandon Dizon Sr. San Leandro, Calif.
(Letterwinner, 77.5 avg., low of 71)
Clay Tucker Sr. Oskaloosa, Iowa
(Letterwinner, 79.1 avg., low of 75)
Zach Swink Sr. Burlington, Iowa
(Letterwinner, 81.6 avg., low of 76)
Notable Losses:
Spencer Skipper
(All-Heart)
Ben Roberts
(Three-time letterwinner)
Justin Bothma
(Two-time letterwinner)
Notable newcomers:
Zachary Chegmidden Fr. England
Skylar Cunningham So. Knoxville, Iowa
Sebastian Rulis Jr. Denmark
Beau Squires Sr. Conrad, Iowa
The Statesmen men’s golf team will look to build off a great inaugural season in its new conference and possibly take another step closer to a league title as it hits the links in 2016-2017.
William Penn placed fourth out of 11 teams at last year’s Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships, and Head Coach Steve Tucker has a lot of talent returning.
Frederik Lundsgaard (Jr., Jebjerg, Denmark, History/Government) is at the front of the class with a 75.8 stroke average last year, while Brandon Dizon (Sr., San Leandro, Calif., Sociology) (77.5 avg.), Clay Tucker (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Elementary Education) (79.1 avg.), Zach Swink (Sr., Burlington, Iowa, Sociology) (81.6 avg.), and Kyle Hashimoto (Sr., Acampo, Calif., Exercise Science) (81.9 avg.) also earned varsity experience last year.
Fellow returners Peter Frederiksen (Jr., Hornslet, Denmark, Mechanical Engineering), Rory Schafer (Jr., Solwezi, Zambia, Mechanical Engineering), Cade Hartman (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management), and Bradley Hamilton (So., Earlham, Iowa, Physical Education) will battle several newcomers to bolster the team.
Zachary Chegmidden (Fr., England) and Sebastian Rulis (Jr., Denmark, Business Management) are coming from Europe this fall, while Skylar Cunningham (So., Knoxville, Iowa, History/Government) is venturing just a few miles down Highway 92. Beau Squires (Sr., Conrad, Iowa, History/Government and Sociology) is also back on the Statesmen roster after years away.
Schedule/Conference
The fall season begins on August 28-29 as WPU hosts the Midwest Intercollegiate Open in Moravia, while seven additional tournaments will fill up the rest of the schedule. The Statesmen will also host the William Penn 27 Shootout in September and the William Penn Classic in October. The NAIA Preview, consisting of some of the best teams in the nation, will wrap up the fall.
2015-2016 national qualifiers Grand View and Mount Mercy will likely serve as favorites to claim the Heart crown, but Tucker can envision his program being a real threat next spring.
Story provided by Wade Steinlage
