Daily Staff Writer

It was an eventful fall for the Cyclone golfers. Both the men’s and women’s teams exceeded expectations, and both have reason to be excited about the upcoming spring season.

The Cyclone men undoubtedly had their best half-season in recent memory, as they set a number of individual records and won back-to-back tournaments for the first time in school history. The team also shattered the team tournament record by eight strokes in its first win of the season at the Wolf Pack Classic.

The team achieved its prosperity with an infusion of young and veteran golfers. Freshmen Cameron White and Ross Menke, along with junior college transfer Cedric Bertin, all made solid contributions to the team’s success. The team, however, was still led by juniors Joe Cermak and Chris Baker and senior Rodney Hamblin. Cermak led the team in stroke average with a 72.40, and Baker was right behind him with a 72.66.

The scoring leaders attributed much of their success to the newcomers.

“They’re another reason we’re playing well as a team, because we know there are people behind us pushing us at practice to get better,” Baker said. “Everything about the team and the whole atmosphere brings out our true games.”

The Cyclone men are currently ranked 75th nationally in Golfweek’s team ratings. As they battle for position in the NCAA regional and national championships in the spring, coach Jay Horton stressed the importance of continuing to play well and improving their rating.

“We need to be in the top 70 to have a good shot of getting into nationals,” Horton said. “But the higher we can get, especially in the top 50, means we have a really good shot of getting into regionals.”

While the women’s team didn’t enjoy as much success as the men’s did, the ladies exceeded expectations in their own right. The Cyclone women didn’t finish any lower than eighth place in any tournament, and saw some of their players put up strong individual numbers. They are currently ranked 81st nationally.

“We beat some really good teams, which is exciting to see,” said coach Christie Martens. “Every coach always sees some things that you left out on the course, but overall, I was very pleased.”

The ISU women had multiple players finish in the top 15 twice this fall. At the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational, they had three in the top 15 and two in the top 10. Junior Karly Pinder finished ninth at that event, with senior Christi Athas a spot behind her in 10th place. Freshman Pennapa Pulsawath tied for 14th.

Pinder and Pulsawath have been the story all fall for the Cyclones. Pinder recorded two top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth place that broke her personal best score by 13 strokes.

In her first year of college play, Pulsawath finished in the top 15 three times and also led the team in scoring in their first tournament.

“Her work ethic and her passion for the game is really motivating for everyone else on the team,” Pinder said of Pulsawath. “I feel like she always has a great attitude and it can really rub off on the other team members.”

As for now, both coaches indicated that they will give the players some much needed time off and resume practice sometime in January, when they start preparing for the second leg of the season.

“The first few tournaments of the spring, it’s kind of like getting your feet wet again,” Horton said. “But once these guys start playing again, it’s like riding a bike.”