On March 20, the golf team finished second at the Bobcat Invitational and finished first at the St. Edwards Invitational on March 6. Due to the team’s strong performance, it was announced on March 21 that the team received the number one ranking in the nation.
Head coach, Garrett Runion, said the team was very excited when they heard of the news. He said the team’s confidence is growing with every tournament, and he believes they are capable of maintaining the number one ranking.
“I feel the team will handle having the number one ranking very well, because they have wanted it for a while and now that they have it I think they will thrive with it,” said Runion.
Sophomore golfer, Ben Taylor, said the team has been consistent, because they have finished in the top five in every competition. He said being in contention in every tournament has given the team momentum and has become a habit. Taylor was excited to hear the news of the ranking.
“It was great to see the team’s hard work be rewarded with the number one ranking. Especially that it hasn’t been done since 2007. It’s also a good source of motivation for us to maintain it,” said Taylor.
Runion said the team being in contention every tournament has given them the belief they can win. Runion felt the key to the team’s success has been the performance of the team’s top three players. Ben Taylor is ranked number one in the country, Ricardo Celia is ranked 15th, and Oscar Lengden is ranked 25th.
“All three have finished in the top ten the last two tournaments,” said Runion. “Without them we would not have had the finishes that we did.”
The team will conclude play at the Buccaneer Invitational hosted by Barry today. The next competition will be Sunshine State Conference Championship beginning April 16.
