Monday, September 18
Richmond, Va.
8:00 a.m.
West Virginia University
at
Janney VCU Shootout
Photo by: Big 12 Conference
WVU to Open Season at Janney Invitational
September 17, 2017 02:01 PM | Golf
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After scrapping its original season opener last weekend, the West Virginia University golf team starts its third varsity season on Monday when the team tees off at the Janney Invitational, hosted by VCU at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.
Golfers will play 54 holes through two days, starting with 36 holes off an 8:45 a.m. shotgun start on Monday. The final round of play will follow on Tuesday on the par-72, 6,927-yard Tuckahoe Course. In addition to the Rams and the Mountaineers, the field will be comprised of Virginia Tech, Radford, Old Dominion, George Washington, Richmond, Coastal Carolina, Rutgers, Charlotte, Maryland and James Madison.
"We're looking forward to opening the season in Richmond," coach Sean Covich said. "The Country Club of Virginia is always in excellent shape and we are taking three guys over there that played it last season. Etienne, Max and Tristan have all be around the course and can help the new guys with their game plan."
The Mountaineers were previously scheduled to play in The Invitational at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort in Johns Island, South Carolina, last week, but the tournament was canceled due to Hurricane Irma.
The 2017-18 season marks WVU's second straight year at the Janney Invitational. Max Sear tied a program reocord with a low round of 66 on the final day of play at last year's event.
Sear will represent the Mountaineers once again at the event as part of WVU's starting lineup. Sophomore Etienne Papineau, junior Tristan Nicholls, sophomore Philipp Matlari and freshman Matthew Sharpstene will comprise the remainder of the WVU lineup. Freshman Mark Goetz will compete as an individual.
Seniors
Drew Dewald and Avery Schneider enter their senior seasons for the Mountaineers. Schneider joined the program as a sophomore transfer from Drexel in 2015, and had played 38 rounds in 14 tournaments for the Mountaineers. He competed in five tournaments for WVU last season with a scoring average of 76.40 and a low round of 71. Dewald is in his second season with the Mountaineers after playing two seasons at McLennan Community College. He played 10 rounds in four tournaments for WVU, averaging 77.90 strokes per round.
"Avery is one of the best kids I've ever had on a team," Covich said. "He works hard both on and off the golf course and showed a lot of improvement this summer in his amateur events. I'm excited to see what his final season has in store. Drew probably has more ball-striking talent than just about anyone on the team. If he can stay positive and not beat himself up he will have a breakout season."
Juniors
Sear and classmate Nicholls return as the leaders on the course for the Mountaineers. Sear is the two-time Player of the Year for WVU and has played in all 25 tournaments on the West Virginia schedule for the past two years boasting a scoring average of 73.86. He finished tied for first in WVU's win at the East Carolina Intercollegiate last season, falling in the second hole of a playoff. Sear has recorded seven total rounds of 69 or better, including three last season.
Nicholls has steadily improved in his first two years on campus, earning WVU's Most Improved Award in 2017. Like Sear, he played in all 12 tournaments for the Mountaineers in 2016-17 and shaved nearly two strokes off his scoring average with a 75.15 last season.
"Max and Tristan have anchored our lineup the past two seasons," Covich said. It's very comforting to have these guys in leadership roles for us this season. The younger guys can look up to Max and Tristan and learn from how they go about their business."
Sophomores
Papineau returns for his second season with plenty of collegiate action under his belt, having played in all 12 tournaments for the Mountaineers last season. He finished with a 75.47 scoring average and placed as high as 11th in his first season on campus with a pair of rounds in the 60s.
Matlari may be new to the team, but he brings a season of collegiate golf with him to Morgantown after starting his career at Columbus State. Matlari finished his first season with a 73.8 scoring average and a trio of top-10 finishes, including a 10th place finish at the Peach Belt Conference Championship.
"Both Etienne and Philipp are very experienced players having played around the world," Covich said. "These guys will make an impact for us; we already saw that with Etienne's play last season. Bringing Philipp onboard only makes this particular class even stronger."
Freshman
A trio of rookies make up the four newcomers to the squad this season. Sharpstene joins the team out of T.C. Roberson High in North Carolina, where he ranked as the No. 4 golfer the state for the class of 2017. He was the 2015 Charlotte/Mecklenburg Player of the Year, 2016 Western North Carolina Player of the Year and the 2016 4A Regional Medalist in addition to being a three-time all-state selection.
Goetz comes from the Kiski School and Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He was the 2016 Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association (PISAA) State Champion as well as the runner-up at the 2016 Independent Preparatory School League (IPSL) Championship and the 2016 Keystone Cup Championship.
Logan Perkins played for Strong Rock Christian School in Georgia, where he ranked No. 7 in the state's recruiting class of 2017. In addition, he shot a 68 to win the 2016 Georgia High School Association State Championship and carded a 67 to claim the 2016 GHSA Region Championship.
"This is a very talented group of freshman," Covich said. "I expect all of them to see significant playing time during their four years. They bring a lot of energy, competitiveness and positivity that we were lacking last season. It has been refreshing to have these guys around. They've really helped make our roster competitive."
Golfers will play 54 holes through two days, starting with 36 holes off an 8:45 a.m. shotgun start on Monday. The final round of play will follow on Tuesday on the par-72, 6,927-yard Tuckahoe Course. In addition to the Rams and the Mountaineers, the field will be comprised of Virginia Tech, Radford, Old Dominion, George Washington, Richmond, Coastal Carolina, Rutgers, Charlotte, Maryland and James Madison.
"We're looking forward to opening the season in Richmond," coach Sean Covich said. "The Country Club of Virginia is always in excellent shape and we are taking three guys over there that played it last season. Etienne, Max and Tristan have all be around the course and can help the new guys with their game plan."
The Mountaineers were previously scheduled to play in The Invitational at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort in Johns Island, South Carolina, last week, but the tournament was canceled due to Hurricane Irma.
The 2017-18 season marks WVU's second straight year at the Janney Invitational. Max Sear tied a program reocord with a low round of 66 on the final day of play at last year's event.
Sear will represent the Mountaineers once again at the event as part of WVU's starting lineup. Sophomore Etienne Papineau, junior Tristan Nicholls, sophomore Philipp Matlari and freshman Matthew Sharpstene will comprise the remainder of the WVU lineup. Freshman Mark Goetz will compete as an individual.
Seniors
Drew Dewald and Avery Schneider enter their senior seasons for the Mountaineers. Schneider joined the program as a sophomore transfer from Drexel in 2015, and had played 38 rounds in 14 tournaments for the Mountaineers. He competed in five tournaments for WVU last season with a scoring average of 76.40 and a low round of 71. Dewald is in his second season with the Mountaineers after playing two seasons at McLennan Community College. He played 10 rounds in four tournaments for WVU, averaging 77.90 strokes per round.
"Avery is one of the best kids I've ever had on a team," Covich said. "He works hard both on and off the golf course and showed a lot of improvement this summer in his amateur events. I'm excited to see what his final season has in store. Drew probably has more ball-striking talent than just about anyone on the team. If he can stay positive and not beat himself up he will have a breakout season."
Juniors
Sear and classmate Nicholls return as the leaders on the course for the Mountaineers. Sear is the two-time Player of the Year for WVU and has played in all 25 tournaments on the West Virginia schedule for the past two years boasting a scoring average of 73.86. He finished tied for first in WVU's win at the East Carolina Intercollegiate last season, falling in the second hole of a playoff. Sear has recorded seven total rounds of 69 or better, including three last season.
Nicholls has steadily improved in his first two years on campus, earning WVU's Most Improved Award in 2017. Like Sear, he played in all 12 tournaments for the Mountaineers in 2016-17 and shaved nearly two strokes off his scoring average with a 75.15 last season.
"Max and Tristan have anchored our lineup the past two seasons," Covich said. It's very comforting to have these guys in leadership roles for us this season. The younger guys can look up to Max and Tristan and learn from how they go about their business."
Sophomores
Papineau returns for his second season with plenty of collegiate action under his belt, having played in all 12 tournaments for the Mountaineers last season. He finished with a 75.47 scoring average and placed as high as 11th in his first season on campus with a pair of rounds in the 60s.
Matlari may be new to the team, but he brings a season of collegiate golf with him to Morgantown after starting his career at Columbus State. Matlari finished his first season with a 73.8 scoring average and a trio of top-10 finishes, including a 10th place finish at the Peach Belt Conference Championship.
"Both Etienne and Philipp are very experienced players having played around the world," Covich said. "These guys will make an impact for us; we already saw that with Etienne's play last season. Bringing Philipp onboard only makes this particular class even stronger."
Freshman
A trio of rookies make up the four newcomers to the squad this season. Sharpstene joins the team out of T.C. Roberson High in North Carolina, where he ranked as the No. 4 golfer the state for the class of 2017. He was the 2015 Charlotte/Mecklenburg Player of the Year, 2016 Western North Carolina Player of the Year and the 2016 4A Regional Medalist in addition to being a three-time all-state selection.
Goetz comes from the Kiski School and Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He was the 2016 Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association (PISAA) State Champion as well as the runner-up at the 2016 Independent Preparatory School League (IPSL) Championship and the 2016 Keystone Cup Championship.
Logan Perkins played for Strong Rock Christian School in Georgia, where he ranked No. 7 in the state's recruiting class of 2017. In addition, he shot a 68 to win the 2016 Georgia High School Association State Championship and carded a 67 to claim the 2016 GHSA Region Championship.
"This is a very talented group of freshman," Covich said. "I expect all of them to see significant playing time during their four years. They bring a lot of energy, competitiveness and positivity that we were lacking last season. It has been refreshing to have these guys around. They've really helped make our roster competitive."
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