Season Review: Men’s Golf caps 2021-22 season with best OAC finish since 2016
By Wes Mayberry
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's golf team put together a great season in 2021-22, capping it with its best OAC Championships finish since 2016.
The Polar Bears finished the 2021-22 campaign with a record of 36-30-4 after their third-place showing in the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships. They shot a 1211 in the 72-hole tournament for their best finish in the event since placing second in 2016.
"I was really excited with how we finished," ninth-year head coach Chad Bucci said. "We were picked to finish fifth in the preseason conference poll, and we ended up finishing third, which was great."
Seniors Andrew Slusher (Covington) and Nolan Kimberly (Zanesville) led the way, earning All-OAC honors by placing seventh and tied for ninth, respectively, in the 45-man field. This marked the second straight season that Slusher earned All-OAC status.
"Andrew and Nolan were the heart and soul of this program for the last four years," Bucci said. "The seniors that left our program this past year were special and will be deeply missed."
Junior Josh Steyer (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) finished 21st, senior Jared Hernandez (Van Wert) tied for 23rd, and senior Austin White (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) tied for 35th to round out the ONU contingent at the OAC Championships.
"How we played in that tournament was how I thought we should have played all year long," Bucci said. "We were so deep, and it was a matter of finding the right combination of players for the OAC Championships, and I chose experience in that tournament over averages for the year."
Kimberly finished the season with a team-low average score of 77.1 while Slusher was right behind with a 77.6. Kimberly's mark is tied for 12th on ONU's all-time single-season list.
Steyer, Hernandez and freshman Andrew Briars (Maumee/Anthony Wayne) also finished with sub-80 averages with respective scores of 78.9, 79.3 and 79.3.
Other top contributors this season included freshmen Adam Trigg-Holdman (Cincinnati/Roger Bacon) and David Walsh (Mason/Moeller) and junior Dylan Morris (Bellevue/Margaretta). Those three posted average 18-hole scores of 80.5, 81.5 and 83.8, respectively.
Northern got out to a great start in 2021-22, finishing in a tie for first place at the Polar Bear Classic and winning the ONU Invitational. Slusher shot an even-par 72 to win Medalist honors in the latter event, and Kimberly and Briars finished tied for second.
Later in the season, Hernandez finished tied for second place to lead ONU to share top honors at the Bluffton Beaver Classic.
The Polar Bears opened the spring portion of their schedule by finishing in a tie for third at the Muskingum Invitational in an effort led by a third-place showing from Steyer.
Northern's April slate was highlighted by second-place finishes at the Defiance Invitational and the Polar Bear Easter Classic as well as a dual victory over Olivet (Mich.).
Slusher paced ONU with a second-place finish in the Defiance Invitational and tied Steyer with a team-best third-place showing in the Polar Bear Easter Classic. Briars won Medalist honors in the win over Olivet.
Those strong performances propelled Northern into the three-day, four-round OAC Championships tournament. The Polar Bears sat in third place at the end of each of the first two days en route to their third-place finish after tying for sixth in the event in 2021.
After the season, five Polar Bears earned Academic All-OAC recognition. That group included Morris along with junior Andrew Lyon (Toledo/Ottawa Hills) and sophomores Garrett McCarthy (Alexandria/Newark Catholic), Jeff Baker (Trenton/Edgewood) and Jacob Brooks (New Albany). Both Lyon and Morris are now two-time Academic All-OAC honorees.
Northern will look to build on its momentum as it prepares for next season.
"Last year's recruiting class was really good, but I truly feel that the incoming class is just as good, so I see us pushing for a top-three finish in the conference again next season," Bucci said.