COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Head coach Jason Rodenhaver of the Maryland men's golf team recently sat down with umterps.com to talk about the Terps' first year in the Big Ten, the newcomers to this year's lineup and what to expect from the 2015-16 Terrapins.
First, what were your thoughts on the team's showing last year?
JR: When we took over the men's program we had to build it from the ground up and we made a huge jump in the rankings from previous years. We had ourselves in position for an NCAA bid throughout most of the year. We just couldn't get over the hump in the spring. We felt really good after our performance in the fall and we picked up where we left off with a strong showing in the Big Ten Match Play in February. But for the rest of the spring we couldn't get all five guys going at the same time. We certainly had our opportunities; a chance to win at William and Mary, in position to have a good finish at Aiken and Ohio State and the one that really stung was our last two rounds in the Big Ten championship. We were in third with two rounds to go and just didn't get the job done. Our teams in the past have been fantastic finishers. We've won a lot of golf tournaments here at Maryland and for some reason, we just didn't get it done. It has made for a long summer, but we are extremely excited to get going this fall.
What is a typical summer for your team? Do the student-athletes head home or do they stay around campus to put in work?
JR: All of our guys go home for the summer months. All of our returning players and the four incoming freshman have had great summers. All have maintained a competitive tournament schedule and we like where they all are now that they've arrived back on campus.
What can you tell us about each of your newcomers this year?
JR: We have a big freshman class this year. Four of our players are freshman, so we're young but they are all proven players on the national level.
Timothy Colanta is from Orlando. We've been recruiting Tim for a few years now and we were fortunate to get him. He's a tremendous talent and he had opportunities to go elsewhere but I believe we formed a great relationship with Tim and his parents. Based on his track record, we foresee Tim being an impact player for us.
Reilly Erhardt is from Greensboro. Reilly is a big, strong, talented player who has been playing at a high level for the past year and a half. I think his best golf is ahead of him and we expect him to also be an impact player for us this year.
Justin Feldman is from Rockville. Justin also has great strength and talent. He's a tremendous multi-sport athlete, who had a great career as a varsity basketball player in high school. Again, I think his best golf is ahead of him and playing in a competitive golf environment will allow him to grow as a college player.
Chris Navarro is from Davidsonville, Md. Chris is another player with strength, size and lots of talent. We've been recruiting Chris for a couple of years and we were fortunate to land him. He's had tremendous success on the national level and we foresee him helping us out this year.
All four of the freshman fill an immediate need for our program. First of all, they are all loaded with talent and they're all great students and are really competitive on and off the golf course. They also have given us recruiting inroads to our targeted areas throughout the country; especially in state.
What kind of year fo you expect for your returners?
JR: Our four returning players bring a lot of experience to the table. They've all been consistent mainstays in our lineup.
Tom Harris is our only senior who will serve as our team captain this year. He's been a starter for us since day one of his freshman year. Tom has played in every event, missing only one tournament due to injury his sophomore year. We foresee Tom having a great year for us.
Victor Fox is a junior that has been in the lineup since day one of his freshman year. He had a solid freshman campaign, highlighted by being named to the Ping All-Northeast Regional Team. Victor had an up and down sophomore campaign, which was highlighted by being our first Big Ten Player of the Week last fall. He struggled a bit last spring but we look for him to have a bounce back year for us.
David Kocher was our most consistent player last year. He was named to the All-Big Ten Team, finished third in the Big Ten conference tournament and was selected to play in the NCAA Regionals. David had a great summer as well - winning the North Carolina Amateur and also qualifying for the US Amateur. We look forward to David having a great sophomore year.
Joe Brooks was a consistent player for us last spring, highlighted by a 66 in one round at the Cleveland Palmetto Intercollegiate. He gave us the much needed depth we have been searching for. Joe has been successful on the international level and we look forward to him having a great sophomore campaign.
Overall, what are your thoughts on your team's second year in the Big Ten?
We certainly had our moments in Big Ten play last year. All of our fellow conference schools take golf very seriously as evidenced by their fantastic facilities. We've made tremendous strides in our fundraising efforts in the past four years. Through generous contributions and outstanding support, we feel like we are getting closer to their level. In the end, it's our goal to win the conference championship and be a consistent player on the national level. With our returning players and with our freshman class we have a created an ultra-competitive environment for our players and with this we look forward to having a successful season.
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