Wheeling, W.Va. – In 2021, the Wheeling University Men’s Golf team was one of the youngest teams on campus. Four of their five top golfers last season were in either their freshman or sophomore season, with many getting their first experience with collegiate golf. Flash forward to 2022 and many of those same faces are back, now with a year of experience under their belts. They look to use that experience to continue the growth of the program as a new era is set to begin.
In 2021, the team went through growing pains that you would expect from a young team, but also had some big moments throughout the season. At the 2021 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship event, the Cardinals were battling for a spot in the top six, sitting as high as seventh on the first day of competition. Unfortunately, day two saw the Cardinals drop to eighth place in the field, ending their run. In the spring, the team sent one representative to the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship when Yadhu Urs qualified and almost sent him to the NCAA National Championships. Meanwhile, the spring season produced some of the individuals best scores of the season, and gave the returners experience that they will use on the course this season.
The biggest change during the 2022 season will be in the team’s leadership. In early August, Rich Conwell was hired as the new Head Men’s Golf Coach as he looks to lead the team into the future. Conwell is currently the General Manager at the Wheeling Counter Club, where he also serves as a PGA Golf Professional. Conwell brings with him over 20 years of golf coaching experience as he has helped train a PGA Tour winner, two US Amateur contestants, and several club champions. He looks to bring his wealth of knowledge with him to Wheeling as he helps the current golfers grow from the experiences and skills they already have. While Urs is not returning to this year’s roster, the team brings back their other four top golfers who look to help them climb the ladder in 2022.
Leading the way will be a pair of juniors in Austin Panhorst spirit Nick Zaller, who each had strong 2021 campaigns. Zaller was the team’s second best scorer of the season, and finished 36th overall at the MEC Championship. While he did not compete during the spring season, he finished the Fall season with an average score of 82 and looks to drop that into the 70’s this season. Panhorst came along during the spring season and brought his scores down throughout the spring. In his first spring invitational at the Mid Pines Invitational he had a two day score of 84 and 82 respectively. In his final outing of the spring, at the West Liberty Invitational, he finished the three-day event with all round scores of 77, 75, and 78. These two look to continue their progression and lead this young team into the future.
Joining those two is sophomore Blake Ring-Fish, who got his introduction to collegiate golf last season. Ring-Fish consistently shot in the high 70s to low 80s throughout the season and ended his year with a combined score of 251 at the West Liberty Invitational. Fellow sophomore Alex Parker rounds out the list of returners after growing throughout the spring. Parker also had a big change in the spring, going from shooting in the 90’s in the fall to scoring 245 at the West Liberty Invitational. The four returners will be joined by freshman Ethan Short, who looks to factor into the team’s top five during the year. After being picked #9 in this year’s MEC Preseason poll, the Cardinals are looking to beat the ranking as they grow in conference play.
The Wheeling University Men’s Golf team kicks off their season on Sunday, September 4th, when they head to the Vulcan Invitational at Cedar Brook Golf Course in Belle Vernon, PA.