Getting to the green
TERESA WILLIAMS | THE HARBINGER
EAST PEORIA — Coach Bo Ryan and the Illinois Central College men’s golf team will begin their season March 1 in Ft. Pierce Florida against Dowling College of New York.
ICC will look to build off of a very successful fall season. In the fall, the team placed either first or second in five of the six meets in which they competed and earned a conference championship for the third time in the last four years.
This year, they hope to punch their ticket to the national tournament despite an always tough region tournament.
“At times, our region tournament is actually tougher than our national tournament. Two national champions and two national runner-ups have come from Region 24 four of the last six years,” Ryan said.
No stranger to the national stage, sophomore Zac Jewell was able to advance individually to the national tournament last season, earning a tie for 28th.
“Zac is our number one golfer. He really improved quickly… on any given day, he can win a golf tournament,” Ryan said.
“I think our team has a real good shot at making it to nationals as a team,” Jewell said.
Other sophomores include Tyler Johnson, a Washington native and three-time all Mid-Illini conference selection, and Tyler Myers of IVC, who also returns to ICC this season.
Freshman Ethan Brue was a conference champion and earned two tournament titles during the fall season. Joining Brue is Porta High School teammate Nate Hopper, a four-time IHSA 1A state qualifier. The two also helped Porta High School basketball to a fourth-place finish at state last March.
Rounding out the team from Pekin High School is freshman Mitch McCafferty, who Ryan said “is contributing and learning along the way.”
The golf team will participate in four events before the regional tournament on May 3 in Normal. The second tournament of the season, the Ron Marshall Spring Fling, is on March 12 in Scottsboro Ala. ICC will be the host team of the 54-hole tournament, which is named in honor of the former ICC golf coach.
Ryan said the tournament will feature every Division II national champion from the past 12 years, which will give his team a great opportunity to see where they stand early in the season.
The Scottsboro Ala. tournament is also the site of the 2015 NJCAA national tournament, which will take place May 19. ICC aims to be one of the 20 teams in attendance.