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Monmouth golfers shooting for berth in national tournament
Release Date: March 13, 2007
MONMOUTH, Ill. — What happens when the two top recruiting classes
in coach Dave Ragone’s tenure come together?
Hopefully, Monmouth College’s first-ever automatic qualification for
the NCAA tournament.
Ragone, in his seventh year guiding the Fighting Scots’ men’s golf
program, has a strong senior class which he refers to as “the
fearsome fivesome.” Joining that group of veterans is a solid group
of incoming freshmen, including at least three players who should
crack the team’s top 12 performers.
Along with perennial favorites Knox and Lawrence, Monmouth will
contend for the Midwest Conference championship, and if the Scots
can win the 54-hole event, they will earn a trip to Indianapolis to
compete at the national meet.
“We’re very deep – that’s going to be our strength,” said Ragone,
who guided Monmouth to MWC titles in 2002 and 2004. “We’re going to
be as good as anybody in the No. 3 through No. 6 positions. We
should be right around 300 every time out.”
Three of his “quality quintet” of seniors posted rounds of even-par
71 or better at Gibson Woods during fall practice, led by a 68 by
Lee Radford. Justin Martin and Doug Middendorf also reached the
magic number of par, and the senior fivesome is rounded out by Jeff
Denny, who had the team’s low round of 72 last spring, and Nick
Harwick.
Radford, who is one of the team’s steadiest iron players, is a
two-time All-MWC performer, while Middendorf, who is classified as
one of the squad’s biggest hitters, earned his first all-conference
honor last season. The Scots placed second at the conference meet,
carding rounds of 319-312-313 to trail champion Knox by 13 strokes.
Harwick is the team’s other big driver, while Denny’s strength is
consistent iron play.
Because he was busy coaching football during the fall, Ragone isn’t
able to classify the strengths of all of his eight freshmen just
yet. He does know, though, that newcomers Max Goodrich (Lincoln),
Ryan Harvey (Putnam County) and Ryan Tapscott (Riverdale) should be
in the mix for varsity playing time, along with sophomores Jake
Kilberg and Greg Jones and junior transfer Aaron Thiel (Williamsfield).
“They will all vie for a spot,” Ragone said, adding that the No. 1
position on the team is still unsettled but will likely go to either
Radford or Middendorf. “Either way, we’ll be pretty strong.”
Rounding out the 20-man team are senior John Tiffy, juniors Erik
Hoffer and Joel Johnson, sophomore Ryan Powers and freshmen Zach
Coles (Antioch), Nate Harroun (Rockridge), Jon Matthews
(Casey-Westfield), Reilly Parungao (Peoria Notre Dame) and Kyle Tuor
(Dunlap).
“We’re taking a blue-collar approach this season,” said Ragone.
“We’re really stressing work ethic and bringing our lunch pail
everyday. We’re concentrating on the process and the work habits to
get where we want to be this season, which is that automatic
qualification.”
Ragone said that this season’s NCAA tournament has been on his radar
since he was recruiting his current senior class, and he’d like
nothing better than for them to reach that lofty goal in their final
season.
Before they compete in the pivotal MWC Championships in Rockford May
3-5, highlights on the Scots’ schedule include their Spring Break
trip to the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama; their
season-opening meet March 16-17 at Millikin; the first-ever
Knox-Monmouth Invitational on April 6-7; and a meet the following
weekend that will be played at the highly-touted Lawsonia Golf
Course in Green Lake, Wis.
Men's Golf
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