Hawks Eye a Return to National Championship

Hawks Eye a Return to National Championship

On March 28, the College of Southern Maryland Hawks golf team begins their run at what they hope will land them another trip back to the NJCAA DII National Championship when they face Anne Arundel Community College.

Sophomores Mark Burgess, William Garrett, and Tyler Potts return to lead this year's squad with Garrett and Potts serving as co-captains. Freshman Jordan Lofton is a new addition from Waldorf, Md. and Westlake High School.

Head coach David Russell says the expectations for this year's team is to repeat their impressive performance from last year. The Hawks did lose one match last season, so Russell is hoping the team can improve and go undefeated this year.

"We have a strong team so I expect them to put in the work that it takes," Russell said. "They did it last year, I don't expect them to not do it this year."

However, Russell doesn't want his team to assume they will automatically make it back to the national championship just because they were able to last year. 

"Just because we won everything last year, that was last year," Russell said. "We don't know what the other teams have until we play them. In golf you just have to take it one shot at a time and not look forward. They have to really stay in the moment and attack each shot."

Russell understands it will take a step-by-step process to reach the national championship for the second year in a row.

"The first goal is to win our conference, second goal is to win the regionals to qualify for nationals, and at nationals this year I'd like to make the cut." Russell said.

Last year, Garrett was the only Hawk to make the cut and play all four days at the national championship. Out of 90 golfers who played all four rounds, he finished 63rd at a 20-over 308.

Russell anticipates that this team has what it takes to make it back to the national championship.

He said one of the biggest growths he's seen in his team is "the chemistry and the camaraderie amongst each other. We started off last season, maybe guys didn't know each other but at the end they came together and pushed each other and realized 'Hey let's do this as a team, let's make it to nationals.'"

Russell noted that Garrett and Potts often lift weights and workout together so they are constantly challenging each other. Even the talent from the rest of CSM's roster alone brings out the best in each other and makes them work harder.

"Just the competition amongst themselves for the lineup is always viable for helping when the real competition starts," Russell said.

Garrett and Burgess were named to the 2018 All-MD JUCO Men's Golf First Team with Potts making it onto the 2018 All-MD JUCO Men's Golf Second Team.

Even if they are able to repeat their outstanding play from last year, Russell wants the relationships his golfers have formed with each other to last after their careers at CSM are over. 

"Golf and life are very parallel in many aspects and at the end of the day it is just golf, but I think these guys will look back on this experience as life-learning lessons," Russell said.

'Not just golf but the camaraderie and the steps you make to get through college, they're a stepping stone toward life. I look for these guys to grow as men through experiences on and off the golf course, and to be a part of that, I take pride in that."