Golf is as much a team sport as it is an individual sport. The Cornerstone men’s golf team earned valuable experience this season to help build a foundation for competitive play next year.

The Golden Eagles finished No. 1 in the first tournament played this year and tied for second in the last. The rest of the season was mixed with finishes of second to 12th, eventually finishing third overall in conference play. When all was said and done, it was a season to build upon.

“As a whole, our season was successful but there is room for enormous improvements,” freshman Ben Vanbiesbrouck said. “Our team did not play to its full potential, but being a young team we struggled to maintain our consistency.”

“I think that we all made improvements this fall and also showed we can compete with the best,” said Luke Sniegowski, a freshman.

“We were often disappointed but that is mainly because of our high expectations and not necessarily our performance,” sophomore Marcus Brussee said.

Because they learned so much this season, the chances of success for the team next year are definitely high.

“This spring and next year should be even better as we gain more experience,” junior Ryan Zwier said.

“We have everybody back, so next year our expectations are even higher and we should compete to win the conference and go on to nationals,” Brussee said.

This year’s team was made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores and the experience they earned on the course this year could mean success for years to come.

“In following years, we will have a great team because the overall skill level and the very young team that we have,” Vanbiesbrouck said. “We will only get better and we can only win more tournaments.”

Swing away, golf team, swing away.