June 4, 2008

The Dayton Flyers men's golf team couldn't have asked for a more pleasant finish to the 2007-08 campaign.

After playing one of the most competitive schedules in recent memory, UD enjoyed its best finish in the 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Golf Championship, had two first-team All-Atlantic 10 selections and an individual medalist in the tournament for the first time in the program's history.

The second place finish at the Conference Championship showed just how far the program improved. In 2007-08 UD placed in the Top 10 at six events and had three Flyers, Rob Chappell, Zach Glassman and Ian Gilley, earn Atlantic 10 weekly honors.

Most of the team's success came from the development of its four freshmen in Glassman, Gilley, Jeff Hodapp and Chris Woeste. They were among the youthful Flyers who helped take a big step forward in 2007-08, from the pit of an eighth place finish in 2007 to the cusp of being a conference contender.

Coupled with the stellar play of the team's three-time Most Valuable Player and 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Golfer of the Year in Chappell, UD overcame a slow start in the fall before finally catching fire late in the season.

Dayton began the year with a 14th place finish at the Purdue/Midwest Shootout, 11th at the BGSU John Piper Intercollegiate and placed in ninth at the Earl Yestingmeier Intercollegiate before the team started to put things together.

It all happened after Dayton finished in fifth at the Cleveland State Invitational back in September. Woeste finished the tournament strong with a final round of 72 and Chappell broke into the Top 10 among individuals with a sixth place finish.

From there the Flyers began to play a more consistent brand of golf. For the first time in a year and a half, the Flyers finished in the Top 10 in three consecutive tournaments after placing in eighth at the John Dallio Memorial Golf Tournament to wrap up the fall campaign.

In the spring UD looked like it would repeat its slow start from the fall campaign after placing in 17th out of 18 squads at the Hoosier Invitational. But things turned around quickly as the Flyers finished tied for second at their next tournament, the Norm Bullock Collegiate Classic.

That would also be the turning point for the four freshmen.

Glassman, who earned the team's Coaches' Award, completed the year with 15 consecutive rounds below an 80 and won the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week award in late April. Gilley earned Rookie of the Week honors in mid-April and Hodapp and Woeste consistently played their way into the lineup.

That set the stage for UD's final tournament of the season and what head coach Drew Tyrer called the most amazing experience of the season.

In Orlando Chappell won the Atlantic 10 Tournament thanks in part to a career-best 64, Woeste earned the Rookie of the Year award and Dayton enjoyed its best team finish in the history of the conference championship. It proved to be a fitting way to end the roller coaster season and spark optimism for success in 2008-09.

Although the Flyers return all nine golfers from a year ago, there is one major loss in the program with the departure of Tyrer. Tyrer, a UD alum, resigned as head coach in May to focus on a career in health care administration.

Still the foundation is in place for the Flyers to not only repeat their success, but continue to build the program in the right direction.