This spring, both men and women’s golf teams started their journey in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The top five from each squad headed down to compete at the Legends Resort — Parkland.
On the men's side, they finished third overall in the outing, with senior Javan Johnson claiming his first title of the spring season. The senior phenom shot rounds of 71, 68, and 77 for a combined total of 216 across the two days. He finished within the top 15, followed by junior Adam Kasitz finishing 16th, and seniors Erik Fahlen and Drew Pickering finishing 23rd.
On the women's team, sophomore Sabrina Langerak and freshman Shayne Lim took the first two spots in day one. Langerak put a score of 71 on the first 18 holes in the first day, while Lim finished with a 72 on the second day, putting up 32 pars and six birdies.
Langerak has proven herself to be in the top five category. The former Crossroads League champion is looking to get a hot start in the second half of the season and hopefully attain yet another year of dominance.
“Everybody has put in a lot of work over the off-season, just putting in work for those long-term fixes (swinging, putting, etc.),” she said.
Langerak hopes for everyone’s game to be in the best possible spot come tournament time.
The sophomore Trojan had a dominant first half of the season, shooting in the lows of 68 and 73, while also taking home a first-place victory in the Battle of Brookwood, and securing two first-place team finishes as well.
This past off-season, she worked on her stock shot. A stock shot is when the golfer hits the ball, swerves just a bit but remains consistent with the path of travel. It should never move out of line.
With both teams being closely ranked by one another, head coach Lorne Oke has seen the growth, but also knows the potential.
“I think the fall season is the discovery part of the team,” Oke said. “And the spring season is about maximizing the potential of the team.”
Oke was quite clear about maximizing the potential of each player. He broke down the off-season plans into three parts:
First, he wants to reflect on the first half of the season. Fall was fun, but this spring will require some work. Second, he wants his players to get in shape. He believes fitness is key, as it kept the players’ mind away from the course. Lastly, his hope is to work on the players’ individual skills. This includes swing speeds, wedges, etc. This could be a sign for Langerak, as her potential of her stock shot could only get better.
The next tournament for the Trojans is scheduled for March 31 through April 1, as they will be traveling to Noblesville, IN to play at the Purgatory Intercollegiate. The men will play in Nicholasville, KY next to play in the Garn Championship scheduled for March 27th-28th.
