Golf-Main-051116.jpg
WVU Golf Celebrates Historic Season
May 11, 2016 04:27 PM | Golf
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Freshman Max Sear was named the 2016 Player of the Year as the West Virginia University golf team celebrated its first varsity season in three decades with a banquet at Erickson Alumni Center in Morgantown on Wednesday.
Sophomore Avery Schneider won the Academic Achievement award, while seniors Easton Renwick and Mason Short were also honored.
Sear led the way for the Mountaineers, posting a stroke average of 73.63 with six top-20 finishes. The Unionville, Ontario, native earned a runner-up finish at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate in October before taking fourth place to help WVU to a runner-up finish at the Rutherford Intercollegiate in April. Most recently, Sear shot under par in back-to-back rounds to take 12th place at the 2016 Big 12 Golf Championship in Trinity, Texas, last week. The tournament was WVU’s first ever Big 12 Championship.
“Max played great today, and has played well all season long,” said WVU coach Sean Covich at the time. “To have a true freshman step up and compete against the field in the fashion Max did is impressive. I’m proud of the effort from everyone over the last two rounds. The last 36 holes show that our team can compete. I am excited about the future of this program.”
It was fitting that Parkersburg native Alan Cooke became the first Mountaineer since 1982 to tee off in varsity competition when he did so on Sept. 6 at the Tiger Turning Stone Intercollegiate, hosted by Missouri in Verona, New York. Cooke was joined in the competition by Jon Ransone, Chris Williams, Schneider, and Sear, who carded a 16th-place finish in his career debut. Tae Wan Lee also appeared in the tournament as an individual for the Mountaineers, who finished 10th out of 15 teams with a score of 898.
Next up for WVU was a trip to Huntington’s Guyan Golf and Country Club for the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational as Renwick, Cooke, Ransone, Sear and Lee represented the team while Mason Short competed as an individual. Renwick scored the Mountaineers’ first top-10 finish in the new era, tying for 10th place with a school record 208 at five under par. His third-round score of 67 was the lowest individual round of the year and was matched several times. WVU posted two of its lowest rounds of the season, shooting 283 in both the first and final rounds, and took 13th place at the tournament to edge rival Marshall.
After competing at the Graeme McDowell/Shoal Creek Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, to cap September, West Virginia traveled to the Lonnie Poole Golf Club in Raleigh, North Carolina, for the rain-shortened Wolfpack Intercollegiate. Sear, who carded a 68, and the Mountaineers led the tournament after the first day of competition with a team score of 289. WVU shot nine over in the second round to finish in sixth place, while Sear tied for the runner-up spot with a 68-71=139. Schneider (144) and Renwick (145) also earned top-20 finishes, taking 13th and 18th, respectively.
“We put ourselves in position to win with about nine holes to play, but just couldn’t execute the shots down the stretch,” said Covich. “Once again, Max came up big for us. To have a true freshman nearly win the individual title speaks volumes of his game.”
West Virginia returned home to host the first annual Mountaineer Intercollegiate at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport on Oct. 19-20. The Mountaineers welcomed 13 programs, including Penn State, Mississippi State and UConn, to one of their home courses in a 36-hole tournament that was shortened due to inclement weather. The Nittany Lions took home top team honors, while the Huskies were the runner-up. Sear and Renwick tied for tenth place to lead WVU, who had all ten players compete in the event. WVU then wrapped up fall play at the Quail Valley Intercollegiate in Vero Beach, Florida, on Oct. 26-27.
Following a 15-week winter hiatus, the Mountaineers teed off with Rice and Houston at the President’s Day Challenge in Houston on Feb. 15. Playing as an individual, Tristan Nicholls tied for ninth place to finish as the top Mountaineer in the event with a score of 73-75=148 for four over par. A month later, WVU traveled to Tallahassee, Florida, for the Seminole Intercollegiate on March 11-12. Sear again led the way, shooting a 69 in the final round to tie for 13th place as the Mountaineers finished 14th overall.
A busy April was on tap for West Virginia as the Mountaineers started off with back-to-back tournaments. On April 2-3, the quintet of Sear, Cooke, Williams, Schneider and Renwick competed at the Mason Rudolph Championship, hosted by Vanderbilt at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee. Sear led the team to a tie for 11th place before the Mountaineers traveled to West Point, Mississippi, for Mississippi State’s Old Waverly Collegiate Championship. Williams was WVU’s top finisher (37th) as the Mountaineers struggled through six rounds of tournament play in four days.
“After 126 holes of golf in just five days, our guys are worn out,” Covich said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to rest as we leave for Ohio State on Thursday.”
Less than a week later on April 9-10, WVU was back at it in Columbus, Ohio, for the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate at OSU’s Scarlet Course. Playing through a snow delay, the squad tied for eighth after one round but dropped to 15th at the conclusion of the second. Nicholls led the group, shooting a 152.
However, the Mountaineers saved the best for last as they traveled to the Rutherford Intercollegiate on the Penn State Blue Course on April 16-17. Cooke set a new program record with a score of 207, finishing as the individual runner-up while leading WVU to a second-place finish. Sear tied for fourth as squad carded an 853 for its best three-round team score of the season.
The group of Sear, Renwick, Cooke, Nicholls and Williams made West Virginia history on April 1 when the five teed off in the Mountaineers’ first ever Big 12 Golf Championship at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas. Cooke, who was the first WVU player to tee off in September, was once again the first Mountaineer to go. After a strong start, the quintet hit a rough patch that saw WVU drop to 10th place. Sear, however, proved to be one of the highlights as he posted back-to-back rounds under par to move from 36th place up to 12th after shooting a 69 in the final round. Though he just missed all-tournament honors, his finish is a reminder that the future remains bright for the West Virginia golf team.
“I’m very proud of the guys this week,” Covich said. “We showed we can compete and, more importantly, our guys now believe in themselves. We have some validation for our hard work. This will provide some momentum for our young program.”
Max Sear wins 2015-16 Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/qMdqCkyKTh
— WVU Golf (@WVUGolf) May 4, 2016
2026 Mountaineer Invitational Preview
Thursday, April 09
Hootie at Bulls Bay Recap
Friday, March 27
Pearl at Kalauao Invitational Recap
Sunday, November 09
Hawaii Practice
Tuesday, November 04
