By Rich Forestano
Hofstra men’s and women’s golf did an exceptional job in performance on the course this year. However, according to the team and its coach, there’s always room for improvement.
“They performed as well as they could,” head coach Bob Schwalb said. “I’d like to see a better scoring average, but they did a good job considering we only had a total of three seniors between the men’s and women’s teams.”
Both teams showcased a great deal of talent this past season, finishing in the top five of the Hofstra Spring Invitational at Harbor Links in Port Washington. The women took home a first place standing in their tournament, while the men finished in second place. That wasn’t the only bright spot of the season for Hofstra Golf.
Freshman Jason Melser and sophomore Blake Gianniny helped lead Hofstra to a fifth place finish at the ECAC Division I Men’s Golf Championship in Connecticut. Melser, of Punta Gorda, Fla., finished the two day tournament with a score of 144 and broke a Hofstra record for the lowest two day tournament total by a Pride golfer.
“It was truly an honor to hear that when I got the news,” Melser said.
Melser also feels that his coach and teammates share the mindset that there’s no boundaries set for what this team could accomplish.
“We must work hard in all areas of our game to get to the next level,” he said. “After that, there’s no where to go but up.”
The top five scoring averages of the year were Tanner Bortolotti, who placed in the top 15 of the CAA Championship had a 78.44 average.
Freshman Sean Davy recorded a 78.59 average, Gianniny finished with an 80.06, Alex Lowenthal racked up an 81.14 and Melser finished with an 81.25.
Hofstra women’s golf showcased an exciting sparkling talent in freshman Kim Novak this past season. Novak finished in fifth place in the Spring Invitational individually, conveying that the next three years of Hofstra Golf should be extremely exciting. She finished atop the Hofstra leaderboard with an 88.12 scoring average.
She also was a top individual finisher for the Pride in the CAA Championship, placing 29th with a total two day score of 259.
Novak wasn’t the only one getting in on the action. Freshman Liz Warren placed third in the Hofstra Spring Invitational and also placed fifth at the Mt. Holyoke Invitational, where the LPGA previously played their U.S. Open.
“It was pretty cool to play on a course where some of the best golfers in the world have played,” Warren said.
She also believes that there are great strides to be made in making this program better than it already is.
“We didn’t meet our personal expectations, but towards the end of the season, team unity picked up and we performed better,” Warren said. “They’re definitely better days on the horizon.”
The top five scoring averages of Hofstra Women’s Golf consisted of Kim Novak, junior Tamara Bargiel with an 88.87, Liz Warren with a 92.67, sophomore Jessica Hackett with a 95.00, and senior Lesley Snyder with a 95.50.
Hofstra golf is a group of men and women that represent what golf is about: true talent, and team focus.
“No matter how better or worse a sports team gets, practice is essential,” Tamara Bargiel said. “Golf is a popular sport, and it shouldn’t be thought of as a sport where someone can wing it because it can’t be.”
The overall attitude of these two teams is something pro tour golfers should take notice of. If they don’t, they’ll be sure to see come next fall.