Maryland Golf Ready For 1999
8/30/1999 8:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Aug. 30, 1999
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A new era of golf is alive at the University of Maryland this week. Not only do the Terrapin men follow their NCAA regional performance from last spring with a fall opening at the G. Gunby Jordan Intercollegiate in Columbus, Ga., but the Terrapin women's team is assembled for the first time in school history.
Heading the newly-established women's program is former Terrapin men's player and assistant coach Jason Rodenhaver who welcomes the first women's golf team to campus just one week before they open play at the Baytree Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The women's team will compete against a powerful Atlantic Coast Conference field which includes national champion Duke and three other schools which all qualified for the NCAA Tournament last spring.
Meanwhile, the men open competition this weekend at the Callaway Gardens Mountain View Golf Course, site of the PGA Tour's Buick Challenge. It is a site with which the Terps are familiar - last year's Terrapins finished second to Mississippi State at Callaway Gardens, with returning senior Keith Unikel (Potomac, Md.) finishing five-under and falling in a playoff hole to finish second overall. Returning junior Gary Mankulish (Laurel, Md.) finished 17th.
Next week, Sept. 12-13, the men travel to Kiawah Island, S.C. to defend their title at the Palmetto Classic.
Building the Women's Program
Rodenhaver, a two-year Terrapin team captain and a participant in the 1994 NCAA East Regional,
embarks on his first season in building the Maryland women's program. Though he faces the task of
building a fledgling program within perhaps the most competitive women's golf conference in America,
Rodenhaver is not deterred.
Said Rodenhaver, "We're excited about our competitive schedule. We're going to get fed into the fire right away. But we'll play against some smaller schools early to get our feet wet before we go head-to-head with the top ACC teams."
Rodenhaver welcomes six freshmen and a pair of juniors to his ranks. Juniors Sarah Bedford (Gaithersburg, Md.) and Jessica Fernandez (Baltimore, Md.) transfer from Radford and Longwood Colleges, respectively.
Redshirt freshman Brook Bendler (Salisbury, Md.) transfers from Mississipi where she attended but did not see action in 1998-99. Highlighting Maryland's inaugural class of freshmen are two-time Maryland state champion Erin Clasper (Gaithersburg, Md.) and Carter Crowther (Kilmarnack, Va.), regarded as the top prep golfer from the state of Virginia.
Mankulish and Unikel Pace Men's Fortunes
Maryland finished sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season and qualified for the NCAA
East Regional for the first season since 1994. Ninth-year head coach Tom Hanna welcomes seniors Keith
Unikel and Gary Mankulish back as two of his top three golfers from a year ago.
Both have participated in the U.S. Amateur the last two years, and within the last month, Mankulish made a run at the 1999 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. In fact, Mankulish bested Unikel head-to-head in a playoff round at a local U.S. Amateur qualifier.
At Pebble Beach, Mankulish advanced to the second round of match play before falling to Georgia Tech All-American Bryce Molder. Unikel was an All-ACC selection last season as a junior.
Hanna also welcomes a slew of newcomers, including sophomore transfers Corey Brigham (Rumson, N.J.) from Baylor, Scott Ehrlich (Blue Bell, Pa.) from American University and Phillip Fenstermaker (Rockville, Md.) out of Cisco JC in Texas.
Hanna expects these transfers to contribute quickly, along with returning sophomore Brit Musser (North Potomac, Md.) and four incoming freshmen.
Terps At a Glance
MEN: Maryland at G. Gunby Jordan IntercollegiateDate: Sept. 4-5, 1999
Time: All Day
Site: Callaway Gardens Mountain View Golf Course (Columbus, Ga., Par 72, 6,904 Yards)
WOMEN: Maryland at Unlimited Potential Baytree Classic
Date: Sept. 10-12, 1999
Time: All Day
Site: Baytree Plantation Golf Club (Myrtle Beach, S.C., Par 72, 6,000 Yards)
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MARYLAND MEN'S GOLF
1999 Fall Schedule
Sept. 4-5 - G. Gunby Jordan Intercollegiate, Callaway Gardens Mountain View G.C. (Columbus, Ga.)
Sept. 12-13 - Palmetto Classic, Osprey Point G.C. (Kiawah Island, S.C.)
Sept. 18-19 - Cavalier Classic, Birdwood G.C. (Charlottesville, Va.)
Oct. 5-6 - UT-Chattanooga Fall Classic, Valleybrook G.C. (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Oct. 29-31 - Outback Invitational, Outback G.C. (Tampa, Fla.)
1999 Roster
Corey Brigham SO Rumson, N.J. Scott Ehrlich SO Blue Bell, Pa. Phillip Fenstermaker SO Rockville, Md. Vertti Iso-Ahola FR Upper Marlboro, Md. Danny MacDonald FR Plandome, N.Y. Gary Mankulish SR Laurel, Md. John Moheyer FR Lima, Ohio Brit Musser SO North Potomac, Md. Daniel Prettyman FR Milton, Del. Keith Unikel SR Potomac, Md.
MARYLAND WOMEN'S GOLF
1999 Fall Schedule
Sept. 10-12 - Baytree Classic, Baytree Plantation Golf Club (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Sept. 20-21 - Northern Arizona Invitational, Aspen Valley Country Club (Flagstaff, Ariz.)
Oct. 2-3 - Nittany Lion Fall Invitational, Penn State White Course (University Park, Pa.)
Oct. 25-26 - Great Smokies Championship, Waynesville Country Club (Waynesville, N.C.)
1999 Roster
Brooke Bendler FR Salisbury, Md. Sarah Bedford JR Gaithersburg, Md. Erin Clasper FR Gaithersburg, Md. Carter Crowther FR Kilmarnack, Va. Jessica Fernandez JR Baltimore, Md. Jennifer Gibson FR Havertown, Pa. Lori Koch FR Baltimore, Md. Holly Thornton FR Del Ran, N.J.
