Golf in the Northeast is an annual frustration and adjustment in terms of course conditions and the amount practice the players get going into competition. Something that Oswego State golfers and its regional competitors are accustomed to by now, but were faced with a steeper obstacle this spring as the weather has failed to cooperate.

Only getting some time to hit golf balls in a net at the Romney Fieldhouse, the Lakers’ first action on a golf course came in last week’s Keuka Spring Invitational, where they placed third out of 10 teams.

“It’s unfortunate that the weather is so bad,” head coach Mike Howard said. “And this has been one of the worst we’ve experienced in my 23 years of coaching, where we’ve only been outside maybe three times in the course of a month and a half. It is a little discouraging, but it is what it is.”

Oswego State’s home course, Oswego Country Club, was in stable enough condition for the Lakers to practice for the few days after the Keuka Invitational leading up to the Empire 8 Spring Championship in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

“Just knowing everyone’s in the same boat with you’re facing, you just got to go out there and try your best,” senior Stu Winn said. To go with a lack of reps already this spring, the Lakers had to travel over four hours in temperatures 40 degrees warmer than Oswego and a difficult golf course like Hershey Country Club, which they have never played on before.

“It just increased the challenge for the guys,” Howard said.

For the team, the challenge kept increasing as they competed without their top guy from the fall season, junior Sean Paul Owen, who took the spring semester off to study abroad.

“You only get that opportunity once in a lifetime,” Howard said. “[Owen] took it and that’s what being a Div. III athlete is all about.”

The challenge was accepted though. The Lakers were ready to go to work despite the adversity. Junior Kyle McCloskey stepped into the rotation for the Lakers to compete in place of Owen as they held the second-place position from the fall Empire 8 Championship. Depth has been key for Howard’s team the last few seasons, making his job more difficult in a good way.

Juniors Owen, Corey Marshall and Nick Gramuglia have been the forefront of Lakers golf this season, but it was the usual consistency of the senior Winn that was key for them over the weekend at Hershey Country Club.

“Just focusing on minimizing the damage,” Winn said.

“You can’t let one bad shot ruin the hole or ruin the entire round.”

Winn shot 83-85 (168 total) to lead the Lakers for the spring championship and to maintain second place position for them in their inaugural season as members of the Empire 8 Conference.

“Yeah, definitely,” Howard said. “He’s been steady. He’s a good player and has a good mindset. He doesn’t get rattled too easily, so it was a good spot for him.”

As mentioned, they may have been a distant second to Empire 8 powerhouse, St. John Fisher, but as new members to the conference, it was a step in the right direction for an improving program that has battled.

“It’s feels great,” Howard said. “It’s good for our program to come in and be runner-up in a conference and show we can ‘compete.’ We’d like to compete a little more with the first-place team [St. John Fisher], but in time I’m sure we’ll close that gap.”

To go with the second-place finish, Marshall and Schleicher were both named to the Empire 8 Second Team All-Conference for their combined performances in the fall and spring championships.

“Overall, for our first year, we’re pleased with the way we transitioned into a legitimate conference,” Howard said.

The spring season may be short, but is still important with the conference championship implications carrying over from fall competition.

Oswego State will look to end the season full of torrential conditions this spring with positivity. They will compete in the Elmira Spring Invitational on April 24 and host the 12th Annual Laker Spring Tournament on April 28 and 29 at Oswego Country Club to close out the campaign.

“We are interchangeable and we can improve on that,” Howard said. “Hopefully we can get some kids in here in the fall to compete with our guys.”

Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian