Season Review: Men's Golf made major strides in 2015 under second year head coach Chad Bucci
By: Ashley Birchmeier
ADA — The men's golf team made major strides in 2015 under second-year head coach Chad Bucci. The Polar Bears concluded the season 43-20 overall and finished fifth in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Sophomore Tyler Davis was the most lauded Polar Bear, as he was named Academic All-Conference and was named the OAC Golfer of the Week once during the season.
Davis competed in 11 events for ONU, posting a 78.1 average. He won medalist honors and tied ONU's 36-hole school record by winning the Defiance Invitational with a 2-under par 140.
As a team, Northern averaged 310.5 strokes per round, competing in 22.5 rounds on the year.
Senior Colin Burns, sophomore Blaine Ricketts and freshman Zach Goodchild were also among the top performers for ONU.
Burns posted a team-low 77.0 average, competing in 14.5 rounds. His average is the third-lowest single-season mark in school history.
Ricketts finished the season with a 77.2 average (fourth lowest all-time at ONU) and was 27th overall at the OAC Championships.
Goodchild was third on the team in scoring with an average of 77.8 stroke per round, which is the seventh-lowest mark in school history.
The Polar Bears opened the 2015 season at the Wittenberg Invitational, where they finished third. Senior Ryan Wirtz led ONU as he shot a 36-hole season low of 148.
Northern continued on the road as they took part in the OAC Fall Invitational, as well as the Defiance Fall Invitational.
While competing in the Defiance Invitational the team of Davis, Burns, Goodchild, Ricketts, and Deichart posted the third-lowest 36-hole score in school history with a 594.
The Polar Bears opened its spring season in Orlando, Florida, as they faced off with Otterbein in a Ryder Cup style match at Disney World.
Northern then returned home for the ONU Spring Equinox Classic, hosted at the Colonial Golfers Club, where they finished second of five teams with 315 strokes.
ONU concluded the remainder of its schedule on the road as it participated in the Capital Spring Invitational, OAC Spring Invitational, Defiance Invitational, and the OAC Championship.
The Polar Bears finished fifth of eight teams at the OAC Championships hosted at the River Greens Golf Club in West Lafayette.
Wirtz led Northern in the match as he finished 13th overall with a 72-hole total of 309.