The DMACC men's golf team begins the fall season at the Hawkeye Invitation in Waterloo on Friday, September 11.
"Everybody is hungry to get back out and compete," DMACC Head Men's Golf Coach Chris Seaboch said. "We had a very strong team last year with two players being named to the All-American squad. So, we had very high expectations and goals of a high finish at the National Tournament. Our guys who are back are coming back with a chip on their shoulder and are hoping to continue the goals and expectations we had set for last year."
The DMACC Bears have five returning players, including All-American Dylan Ellis of Aplington, back from last season's squad.
"What's great about our sophomores is they've been through the process already, so they know what we expect as coaches," Seaboch said. "They also have high expectations of themselves. They're looking forward to setting great examples for our freshmen."
The other sophomores on the team include: Joe Dean of Cedar Falls, Trevor Heinen of Waterloo, Ryan Leath of Glenwood and Dylan Sporrer of Nevada.
"With a great mix of sophomores and hungry freshmen, competition between teammates has been tough," Seaboch said. "What's great about this is when someone gets the call to compete, they should be ready to go. We have some freshmen who have played really well during some of our qualifiers that we are really looking forward to seeing them in competition."
The five freshmen on the roster include: Logan Barnes of Altoona, Ryan Nichols of Ogden, Tyler Sansgaard of Nevada, Jack West of Winterset and Cyle Renaud of Atlantic.
"Cyle had shoulder surgery during the summer and is easing back into golf this fall," Seaboch said. "Otherwise, we are healthy and injury-free."
Seaboch said they will use the fall season to see how the freshmen respond to tournament play.
"Our main goal is to get everyone as much experience as possible to see what kind of player we have, and evaluate any weaknesses that need to be addressed in the off season," Seaboch said.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some changes this year.
"Being an outdoor sport, we are luckier than most," Seaboch said. "We do our best to social distance at practice and the guys have been limiting the time they spend away from campus.
Seaboch adds that the team is not traveling out of state and not spending the night anywhere for any tournaments.
"Those two things might be slightly different than in the past, but nothing we can't work around," Seaboch said.
Following the Hawkeye Invitational, the DMACC Bears travel to Fort Dodge to compete in the Iowa Central Invitational on Tuesday, September 15.