The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) men's golf team began the fall season by winning the Iowa Lakes Fall Invitational September 5 at Okoboji.
Sophomore Alec Fuhs of Webster City took medalist honors with an even-par 72 and his brother, Avery, and sophomore Dalton Huseman of Boone posted two-over-par 74s to lead the Bears to the win. DMACC, which saw seven players finish in the top eight, posted an eight-over-par 296 to come away with the championship. Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) finished second at 318.
Other DMACC results included 75s by sophomores Robert Flattery of Fort Dodge and Parker Davidson of Pleasant Hill and 78s by freshmen Grant Waline of Story City and Louie Psihoyos of Dubuque. Freshman Dylan Sheffler of Sac City also competed in the tournament and shot an 88.
Avery Fuhs and Huseman tied for second in the individual competition, Flattery and Davidson tied for fourth, Waline and Psihoyos tied for seventh and Sheffler tied for 15th.
Former DMACC assistant coach Chris Seaboch has taken over the head coaching duties, replacing Larry Briley, who is now the assistant coach.
The Bears sent a full team to the 2017 national tournament for the first time since the 1970s and all five of those players return so the team outlook is good according to Seaboch.
"We're setting high expectations for ourselves, not only because of what we have coming back, but what we have coming in as well," Seaboch said. "We've got some freshman who are going to be pushing the sophomores for playing time which is definitely what you want to have for your program."
Psihoyos and Sheffler are two of those freshmen along with Tyler Wierson of Ames. Wierson did not accompany the team to the Iowa Lakes tournament, but has played well this fall according to Seaboch.
Seaboch said getting experience for the freshmen is one of his goals for the fall season.
"We want to get a feel for how everybody is playing in the fall to give us an idea of what's going to go on in the spring." Seaboch said. "The more experience we can get our freshmen, the better off we are."
Seaboch said he also wants the sophomores to put a stamp on the season.
"Last year our goal was to make it to the national tournament. This year our goal is to have a top five finish in the national tournament," Seaboch said. "We've got to come out this fall playing on fire because we've got more experience than anybody we're going to play."
Seaboch said he foresees taking two teams to most of the fall tournaments, one team comprised mostly of sophomores and the second team made up of freshmen.
"There may be one or two meets where we will do that," Seaboch said. "We almost always are taking eight players with five guys competing as a team and three competing as individuals. Secondly, we'll have one or two meets where we won't take our top five and take the rest of the kids and get them experience as well."
The DMACC men's golf team will play in the Southeastern Invitational Sept. 18 at Burlington.