~ Lancers Finish Second in Region X Championship ~
Walters Wins Individual Medalist, Player of the Year Honors

The USCL Lancer golf team hosted the Division III Region X Championship on April 14th and 15th.  The five team field played 36 holes at the Lancaster Golf Course.  The event was won by perennial Division III power - Louisburg College by 13 strokes over USC Lancaster.  Louisburg's total was 608.  The Lancers carded a 621.

"We had a good chance to bring home the crown.  We were only three shots behind after the first day," said Rick Walters, USCL's golf coach.  "Drew Walters and Stephen Adeimy played excellent on Monday.  Drew's 70 led the field by four shots. Stephen's 72 placed him in second place.  That was Stephen's best competitive round of the year.  But it was no surprise the two golfers excelled.  Both players have worked extremely hard and the results showed.  Their contribution kept us in the hunt," said Walters.

USCL could not, however, sustain the momentum. Scores were higher on Tuesday. USCL's 317 left the Lancers an additional ten shots behind Louisburg's 307 total.  "We knew we had to shoot around 300 both days.  Louisburg is one of the best teams in the nation.  They always vie for the National Championship.  Their 608 total was impressive," said Walters.

Lancers scores for the Region Championship were:  Drew Walters-146, Stephen Adeimy-151, Justin Booher-161, Phillip Knezevich-162, Tyler Young-164 and Eric Mayshack-165.  "Stephen's 151 total gave him a third place finish in the championship.  That enabled two Lancer golfers to capture top five honors," said Walters.

Drew's 76 on Tuesday gave him a 146 total and the Individual Medalist title for the 2008 Championship.  Drew was also selected as the NJCAA Region X Division III Player of the Year. 

Being medalist enables Drew to compete in the Division III National Championship in Lake Chautauqua, New York later this year.  "Drew has worked extremely hard on his game over the last four weeks.  His hard work has paid off, as he gets the opportunity to continue playing college golf in the NJCAA Finals," said Walters.

The Region X Championship wraps up the season for the USCL golf team.  The Lancers will pick up in August as they move their program from Division III to Division I.  "We are excited about the Division I move.  We now will be able to award scholarships for USCL golf," said Walters.  "Our level of competition will increase in the Fall of 2008.  We feel the move will be beneficial for the school's golf program.  It will be an exciting time for us."

Photo L to R: Rick Walters, Athletic Director and USCL Golf Team Coach, and Drew Walters

Lancers Compete in NCAA Event
Walters and Knezevich finish in Top 40

The USCL Lancer Golf Team competed in t04/22/2008 -->Club in Greeneville, Tennessee on March 8th and 9th.  Although the event was reduced to a one day event, due to snow on Saturday, USCL was able to continue to show signs of improvement.

The Lancers carded a 315 total, which is an improvement over last year's average. Shorter College from Rome Georgia won the event with a 288 total. Two golfers - Drew Walters and Phillip Knezevich - finished in the elite field in the Top 40.  Drew and Phillip were only two shots from a top 15 finish.  Drew's 75 placed him 27th and Phillip's 76 placed him at number 40.  Chris Wynne of Tusculum College was medalist with a 4 under par round of 67.

"Drew and Phillip played well on the 6700 yard layout.  Both had good solid rounds," said Rick Walters, the Lancer Golf Coach.  "It is encouraging to see their play improve before the Region X Championship, which will be held in Lancaster, next month."

Other Lancer scores were:  Eric Mayshack(81), Stephen Adeimy(83), Chuck Dry(89) and Tyler Young(85).  "It is a good sign to have the team defeat several NCAA Division II Teams.  It is also encouraging to have two players match-up with major conference players from the South Atlantic Conference."

The Lancers will compete in an individual match with USC Beaufort on March 29th and 30th.  The match will be held at the Tradition National Golf Club on Hilton Head Island.

Knezevich Wins Medalist Honors at Cleghorn

Even though the Lancers performance on Monday was below their standard of play, sophomore Phillip Knezevich brought home a prize that made the team proud.  Phillip shot scores of 71 and 76, for a 147 to04/21/2008 Invitational at Cleghorn Plantation, in Forest City, N.C., on October 28th and 29th.  Matt Jackson, from SMC, was second at 151.

"Phillip has had several good ball-04/21/2008ers Coach Rick Walters.  "This course was long and tough.  Phillip's sound play helped him keep the ball in play, which is critical here.  We are proud of his steady play this fall.  He has kept us in the running the last two tournaments.  His 147 score in the last two events is great.  To be a medalist in any tournament is good.  But to shoot what he did here is a even bigger accomplishment."

The Lancers shot 316 on Sunday, only four shots off the lead.  Monday was somewhat different as slicker greens and increasing winds made the scores soar.  The 334 total placed USCL in 7th place.  Mars Hill won the event with a 623 total.  SMC was second at 631.  "I thought we had a chance to win our first tournament.  The guys played well on Sunday.  Monday was different.  We were not able to recover when we hit poor shots.  The course took its toll on us Monday," said Walters.

The Lancers finish up their Fall Season this week and look forward to the Spring Season of 2008.  The Lancers will host the Region X Championship in April, with hopes to return to New York for the National Championship.

Lancers Compete in Two Tournaments

The Lancers hosted a one-day event on October 12th at the Lancaster Golf Course. The Lancers placed fourth, as Surry College took home the trophy with a 306 total. Louisburg College was second at 315.  Timmy Gibson, of Surry, was medalist at 71. USCL had one player--Phillip Knezevich--to place in the top five with a 75.  "Phillip is starting to turn things around. His scoring average is improving. We knew it was just a matter of time before it started clicking," said Rick Walters, USCL coach. "His play this semester is much improved."

Three days later the USCL golf team placed 14th in the 21 team field at Hartsville Country Club, October 15th and 16th.  The Coker Fall Invitational hosted NCAA Division I and II teams for the largest field ever in the event.  USC's "B" team placed first at (-9) for a 567 total. Coker College was second at 582. USCL shot 624.  Paul Woodbury, of USC, was medalist at 137 (-7). 

Phillip Knezevich led the way for the Lancers with a (72 + 75) 147 total.  Drew Walters carded a (78 +78) 156.  Other scores:  Eric Mayshack (82 + 78) had 160.  Justin Booher (87 + 78) had 165.  Stephen Adeimy was at (83 + 88) 171.  "We were proud of the way the guys came back on Tuesday. They shot 315 on Monday and 309 on Tuesday. Phillip Knezevich continued his improved play by placing 17th in the 105 man field," said Rick Walters, USCL coach.  "We were up against the stiffest competition we will face all year. All but three schools have four year scholarship programs, yet our guys were right in the middle of them."

The Lancers finish up the fall season in Forest City, North Carolina on October 28th and 29th.  Spartanburg Methodist College will be hosting the event at the Cleghorn Golf Course.

USCL Lancers Finish 10th at Montreat

The USC Lancaster Golf Team "pulled up their socks" and improved five shots to take 10th place at The Montreat Fall Invitational in Hendersonville, N.C. The event was held at Crooked Creek Golf Course on September 17th and 18th.

"It was encouraging to see our top two players come back the way they did on Tuesday," said Rick Walters, USCL's golf coach. "We could have hung our heads and gave-up but we didn't."

Phillip Knezevich (84-76) and Drew Walters (80-75) improved 13 shots to enable the Lancers to grab a top ten finish among the NAIA and NCAA competition. North Greenville University won the tournament in a playoff over Brevard College. NGU and Brevard both shot 594.  Brandon Coggins (70-71) was the Medalist of the tournament. Brandon plays for NGU.

The Lancers were also led by Freshman Stephen Adeimy (76-82), Phillip Dry (79-85) and Tyler Jackson (84-81). The 633 total left the Lancers behind Tri-county Tech by 1 shot and Virginia Intermont by 2 shots.

Other individual  Lancer scores were: Justin Booher (84-83),Tyler Young (92-88) and Chuck Dry (86-94).

"Our stroke average for Montreat was high. We have a 314 average for the year, which is better than last year's Fall average - a bright spot so far this season. To get where we need to be, we need to cut 10 shots off this average.  A 304 average will win a lot of tournaments, including The Region X tournament."

The Lancers host The USCL Fall Challenge on October 12th at the Lancaster Golf Club. Eight teams from Region X will be playing in the event.

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