Aug. 17, 2005

ROMEOVILLE - While the Lewis University men's golf team may have to depend quite a bit on underclassmen this season, Head Coach Dennis Troy is optimistic about the 2005-06 Flyers' potential to mold a very competitive team.

Troy's troops are coming off a season in which they made a third consecutive NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional appearance and tied for second place in an increasingly tough Great Lakes Valley Conference.

"We have a hungry, `blue-collar' team that really has a desire to compete," Troy said. "Some veterans who have experienced success are back, and we landed some notable recruits from Chicagoland who have very good credentials."

Senior Matt Evans and juniors Lloyd Roth, Rob Peters and Dennis McLain return from last year's team.

Roth was second on the team in scoring average (77) and fashioned a respectable 19th-place tie at the GLVC Championship and two top-five finishes a year ago.

"Lloyd is our only returning first-string player from last year and will be counted on for leadership," Troy said. "He'll be our captain this season."

Although Peters hit a few snags last year after enjoying a solid freshman campaign in which he tied for 11th in the GLVC and finished third on the team in scoring average, Troy believes the junior will be a significant contributor.

"Rob has a lot of potential as indicated by his performance in his freshman year," Troy said. "We're very hopeful he'll return to form."

The Flyers' group of six newcomers is comprised of junior Shawn Williams, a transfer from College of DuPage; sophomore Brian Carlson, a transfer from Elgin Community College; and freshmen Sumeet Arora, Greg Roderique, Jake Nagy and Chris Spalla.

Williams and Carlson give Lewis two junior-college transfers for the first time ever. Williams was a key component of the DuPage team that competed at the NJCAA Division III national tournament, while Carlson qualified for the NJCAA Division II national tournament as an individual.

Arora (2005) and Roderique (2004) have won the past two Chick Evans Junior Championship titles. Arora was an IHSA sectional qualifier and two-time conference champion, and Roderique was a two-time IHSA state qualifier and a top-10 finisher at the Illinois Junior State Amateur Championship.

Nagy also qualified for the IHSA state tournament during his prep career, while Spalla, who missed last season due to injury, is a walk-on whose solid work ethic could allow him to contribute in the future.

"Our recruiting class has some `name-brand' players from the Chicago area who have talent and experience," Troy said. "But as with all newcomers to Division II golf, they'll be stepping up to a different level, a different style. They'll be playing 36 holes in a day sometimes and traveling much more."

The Flyers will try to lay the groundwork in the fall for the GLVC Championship tournament - which will include two new teams, Drury and Rockhurst - and a run at a fourth successive NCAA berth in the spring.

"We'll ease into our fall schedule and see how our players, especially the new ones, react before we get into the teeth of the schedule," Troy said. "Then we'll find out how `tournament tough' we are. If we respond well, I believe we can have another good season."