The Cyclone men’s golf team may not have come away from the Wolf Run Invitational on top, but it definitely came away more confident.

“We didn’t perform to our potential,” said coach Andy Tank, “but from what I’ve seen post-tournament, the players are handling this really well, and they’re looking at this as a learning experience.”

Even with the bit of disappointment, the players aren’t focusing on their scorecards, but rather they’re looking at this as a stepping stone and know that this is part of the learning experience.

A bright spot for the Cyclones this weekend was senior Jacob Aaholm carding rounds of 73, 74 and 71 (218), which earned him a tie for ninth overall, and his best collegiate finish.

“I was really impressed by Jacob’s maturity,” Tank said. “I was very impressed by his results this summer, and with this showing at Indianapolis, it really validated my thoughts on his potential.”

Along with Aaholm, Nathan Leary showed promising signs of an elite Division I golfing, finishing the first round with a 69, which tied his career low. That was also good enough to get him a tie for first with Central Florida’s Connor Arendell. For Tank and the rest of the team it’s back to the practice field with their heads held high.

Although Veenker Memorial Golf Course is still under repair, the team will continue to practice at the pristine Harvester Golf Club outside Rhodes. Not only will the players continue at Harvester, but also they will continue to improve on their practice routine, with the emphasis on short game and their pre-shot routine.

“We’re going to head back and keep working each day,” Tank said. “We will keep focusing on our short game and how we approach each shot.”

Tank admitted that he was happy to finish his first tournament as coach of the Cyclones.

“Now practices can be even more productive than they were,” Tank said, “and we’re at a point where we can prepare even better. There were some situations that came up that pressured the players, and now that we’ve seen them, we can work in practice on specifically how to approach them.”

Coming off of the weekend, Tank feels more confident overall as a coach.

Now that the team has a better idea of how things will play out, it will allow them to prepare in a more specific way for the next tournament.

“I feel that we have a solid foundation to build on from here, and being able to go through this weekend with them, it helps me as a coach,” Tank said, “because as a coach when I know more, I can help more.”

The next meet for the Cyclones will be Sept. 27-28 at the VCU Shootout in Richmond, Va.