Someone will have to rewrite the record books if the spring season goes anything like the fall season for the ISU men’s golfers.

The Cyclones wrapped up a modest fifth place finish at the 49er Collegiate Classic in its last tournament of the fall Tuesday, but the real story is what the golf team has done to bring respect back to a program that has been subpar in the past few years.

This season has included a tie for second place in the second tournament of the season, followed by back-to-back tournament wins. It was the first time the Cyclones had won a tournament since the spring of 2004.

“I feel like we’ve done well, and I don’t see it stopping,” junior Joe Cermak said. “We’re going to be excited and ready to go in the spring.”

The Cyclones finished no lower than sixth place throughout the fall season. Even more impressive, the team has five players with a legitimate shot at breaking Iowa State’s single-season scoring record.

“These guys are good enough to compete for anything; for Big 12 titles and NCAA Championships,” said coach Jay Horton. ” We definitely set ourselves up where a good spring could pay off in the long run.”

After the team finished play Tuesday, it was evident the bar had been raised. A fifth place finish, which once would’ve been seen as a solid performance, isn’t going to cut it anymore.

“We didn’t play very well,” Horton said of the final tournament. “We definitely wanted to finish on a bigger high than that.”

Cermak noted the strong fall has raised the confidence for the entire team.

“We always expect to win, but you can’t control winning; the only thing you can control is yourself,” he said. “We all know that if we play good, we’re going to be right there, and we’re going to win more often than we won’t.”

Now that the Cyclones don’t play again until their spring season starts Feb. 18, the team’s attention turns to some much needed rest and rehabilitation.

“We’re ready to take a little bit of a break,” Horton said. “The weather is a little colder, and these guys have been competing for nine months straight, so it’s time for us to recharge the batteries a little bit.”

Iowa State currently sits at number 70 on Golfweek’s rankings of 289 college teams. The Cyclones hope to hold that ranking or possibly improve it in the spring in order to qualify for the NCAA Championships in May.

“We’ve done better than what we’ve done in the past, but there’s still room for improvement,” Horton said. “We still have things that we need to do better to end the season the way we want.”