October 21, 2009 – Athletics

Michael Sarap ’10 hits out of the bunker during the OWU Fall Invitational.

Photo by Sara Tincher

The Ohio Wesleyan golf team just finished up its fall season, the Bishops’ first under new head coach Ian Miller.

Although the fall portion of the schedule didn’t go as well as expected, with the help of Miller’s experience and the hard work and dedication of the players, the upcoming spring season looks promising.

Miller, a 1999 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan and a Professional Golfers Association member since 1994, comes to the team with a rich background. Miller’s knowledge of the game is especially helpful to the team’s success.

“I feel I have been and will continue to be able to get the vibe of the players and use that to access situations, and to use that to our advantage,” Miller says.

This fall, Ohio Wesleyan finished second in both tournaments of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship series.

According to Miller, the golfers are using their setbacks from the fall season to grow and mature for the spring season.

The two standout players during the fall season were seniors Jesse Chiero and Peter Joyce. According to Miller, Chiero was especially consistent during the season, showing up especially strong at The Gordin-Myers Collegiate Classic. Joyce contributed by posting three top-10 finishes, including medalist honors at the Hiram Fall Invitational.

The upcoming winter will be used to learn from the team’s mistakes and build up skill in order to come back strong in the spring season. The team’s biggest competition is Wittenberg, who is leading the league.

Miller has no doubts in the team’s ability. “I have confidence the players will respond with an exaggerated effort to play better and overcome our deficit in the two final league matches.”

– Amanda Kosmata ’12