Men's Golf | 09.02.2022
LEWISTON, Idaho – A strong nucleus returning for both the Lewis-Clark State College Men's and Women's Golf team has helped first-year coach Zach Anderson make a quick and smooth transition.
Less than two weeks after arriving on campus, Anderson will see the Warriors kick off their season in the Coastal Collegiate Classic in Gleneden Beach, Ore., south of Lincoln City starting on Sept. 4.
"It's a quick turnaround for the first tournament," said Anderson, who replaces Brady Campbell at the helm. Campbell left after one season as head coach to take an assistant coaching job with the Colorado State University Women's Golf team.
"I've talked with Brady a good bit and he really left the program in great shape," Anderson said. "Our philosophies are very similar. And I think you see this a lot now in college golf. There is definitely a youth movement in head coaches. Me being out of college for four years now, as a coach I can make those relationships both personal and professional. And with these teams, it makes my job a lot easier because they want to get better and want to take the next step. It's not like I'm rebuilding these programs. I'm helping them put the right things in place to help them succeed."
Anderson comes to LC after playing and coaching at Mississippi College, an NCAA Division II institution. He said with his unfamiliarity with the golf courses he will see this year, it's a bonus to have the senior leadership and experience both teams possess.
THE MEN
While quite successful, last season left a bad taste in the mouth of the men's team. The Warriors finished second in the conference tournament and were ranked No. 13 in the NAIA, but shockingly missed out on an at-large berth to the national tournament when several teams ranked ahead of them were upset at conference tournaments and gobbled up those at-large berths. LC even had the sixth-best scoring average in the NAIA.
Four of the five players who played in the conference tournament are back. Seniors Devon Caruso, Carolos Davila and Jorgen Lie Viken all earned All-Cascade Conference honors a year ago, while Sondre Andresen tied for 14th at the conference tournament as a freshman. Both Caruso and Davila chose to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility from NAIA COVID-19 rules and are playing a fifth year.
"If LC hadn't found me or another coach, those two could have run this team," Anderson said. "Both have helped me so much. Devon is a natural-born leader and really kind of takes the team on his back. With these two guys, you can tell they want this team to be successful."
Also returning for the Warriors are seniors Juan Pablo Quisoboni, Elias Theodossopoulos and junior Jacob Waller. They are joined by two promising freshmen, according to Anderson, Evan Averyt and Bryden Brown.
"I think our two freshmen are hungry and want to step in and contribute right away," Anderson said.
Anderson received a strong message from the team during the first week of fall practice. The NAIA preseason poll came out and had the Warriors ranked No. 15.
"I sent it to the group and asked them if they had all seen it, and a few of the guys were like 'yeah, we saw it and can't believe it,'" Anderson said. "And I said that's pretty solid, but they told me 'no coach, you don't understand. We can't believe we aren't ranked higher.' That's confidence. This men's team has a lot of confidence and our returners are ready to take that next step."
THE WOMEN
The Warrior women also return four of their five players from last season's conference tournament where they placed fourth. Leading the list is Alexandra Schmidt, a senior who earned all-conference honors two years ago and barely missed the honor last year. The conference uses the top seven scoring averages in conference tournaments to determine the all-conference team and Schmidt finished ninth with a 79.3 strokes per round average. Senior Deana Caruso (81.4) and junior Kyla Currie (81.7) finished 12th and 13th, respectively.
Like her male counterparts, Schmidt is coming back for a fifth year, which Anderson says is huge for the team.
"She's been here and knows what it takes to be successful," Anderson said. "She's a great player and I'm really excited to see what she and the team does this year."
Caruso won the Walla Walla University Wine Valley Invitational a year ago and had five top 10 finishes. Currie also had five top 10 finishes and her best finish also was in the Wine Valley Invitational where she placed fourth.
The fourth returnee is Mylaina Parker, who improved throughout last season.
The four will be joined by four freshmen, including three who grew up roughly 45 minutes apart. Reece Garey, Mackenzie Miller and Dallas Shockey are all from southwestern Idaho. The fourth, Kylee Hughes, is from Colorado.
"The freshmen, from what I have seen, are going to really push the returners," Anderson said. "With the three from Idaho, they have always competed against each other so it's cool now seeing them as teammates and helping each other. It's fun to watch that transition from being competitors to teammates."
THE OUTLOOK
Anderson said a big part in taking the LC State job was how successful both programs have been and to help continue that success.
In the Cascade Collegiate Conference's preseason poll, the LC men are picked to finish second in the nine-team league, while the women are third. University of British Columbia, which won the women's NAIA national title last year, is the preseason favorite in both polls. The UBC men are ranked No. 8 in the NAIA preseason poll., while the women are No. 1. Oregon Tech was ranked No. 23 in the women's poll.
Anderson said because of the short turnaround for the first tournament, the Warriors will play three qualifying rounds to see who will be the five players to represent LC State. He said the leader with the best scoring average after the first two rounds will automatically qualify, as will the next two best scoring averages after three rounds. He said he has reserved the final two spots as coach's picks, but those usually go to fourth and fifth players with the best scoring averages.
Ideally, the goal is for the players to push each other to continue to improve throughout the year.
THE SCHEDULE
The Warriors have a heavy fall scheduled that includes two conference tournaments and a two-day event in Arizona that is expected to attract a number of NAIA Top 25 teams.
LC State will get a good look at some of its conference mates in the three-day 54-hole Coastal Collegiate Classic to open the season. Both teams will play 18 holes each of the three days.
The Warriors then jump into conference play with back-to-back tournaments in September, first in Caldwell, Idaho, and then later in Portland. LC finishes the fall with the Ottawa Fall Classic in Surprise, Ariz., during the first week of October.
LC State is scheduled to participate in a tournament in Henderson, Nev., to kick off the spring on March 7-8 and then has the final conference tournament on April 3-4 in Walla Walla. The Warriors do not have a home event this season.
The Cascade Conference Championships will be held on April 2426 in Creswell, Ore.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
