It is a new era for the Oswego State golf team, as their 2019-20 season starts with the St. John Fisher Collegiate Invitational on Friday, Sept. 6. It is a year where they must make up for the loss of Empire 8 Player of the Year Sean Paul Owen and four other seniors, but it is not a rebuilding year.
“I thought we had a great year,” coach Mike Howard said. “We had the player of the year in the conference, we won five, six invitationals … we had some guys do some really great things on the golf course, overall it was pretty productive.”
The Oswego State Lakers were a force to be reckoned with last season, with a second place finish in the Empire 8 Conference championships. Finishing behind 16-time Empire 8 champion St. John Fisher. Sean Paul Owen dominated the Hershey Country Club, earning medalist honors, as the winning golfer. He defeated the runner-up in the conference championships.
The Lakers also controlled their home course, Oswego Country Club, each time teams visited in the fall and spring. With Corey Marshall winning medalist honors in the fall and Sean Paul Owen winning the honor in the spring. While both of those players are gone, the Lakers are still here to win.
“It’s hard replacing guys like that,” Howard said
For Howard and the returning players, the goal is just that. They are looking forward to the opportunity to make this season a winning effort, one that eventually leads to a conference championship. Regardless of the championship mindset, Howard’s expectations year to year do not change.
“I expect the same thing as we always do,” Howard said. “Go out and perform to the best of our ability and play smart golf … avoid the big numbers.”
Howard’s players are up to his challenge. Senior Erik Schleicher, who shot the best score at the Lakers preseason tryout, has high hopes.
“As a group, I would love to see us compete or even win our conference championship,” Schleicher said. “Even beat St. John Fisher.”
He seems up to the challenge of filling Sean Paul Owen’s shoes. He is confident in the work he put in this summer and has been using personal analytics to mentally prepare for the upcoming season. Schleicher’s role as the number one golfer is needed this season. With the new faces, returning players must perform well.
“It puts pressure on us but also will bring out the best in our games,” Schleicher said.
Sophomore Ryan Fecco has a similar outlook to his teammate, Schleicher, on the challenge ahead, high hopes for the season ahead.
“[My expectations are the] same as last year, to win the conference championship,” Fecco said. “But to do that we are going to have to take it tournament by tournament, and shot by shot. Grow as a team and get better as the season goes on.”
The Oswegonian file photo from 2018
