The grass is green

Warrior golf

Over the past two weeks, spring has almost fully bloomed on campus. The trees are budding, the flowers are opening, and the three baby owls behind the IMC building are flying the nest. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sweet sound of lawn mowers trying to keep up with the glorious grass that is rapidly growing all over campus. And what does freshly cut grass mean for athletics? It means the golf team is coming out of hibernation to take on the last few weeks of school with an eagerness for sock, forehead, and bicep tan lines.

Last week, on April 13 and 14, the golf team sent out Nolan Shea, Jair Sosa, Christian Huenergardt, and Braden Essex to play in one last tournament before the school year ends. The Howl at the Hill tournament took place at Hillcrest Country Club right here in Lincoln and hosted teams from the central region of the NCCAA. If you recall, last week was when the heat spiked. Aside from the 90-degree weather, the wind was also causing some trouble. Parents and friends showed up to support the team through their 18-hole games. Although they didn’t do as great as they hoped, they set a bar to pass for next season when they reconvene in the fall. 

Golf is a fall sport, but this spring was when David Gubbels took over coaching the team. Without much practice time, he took the team to two tournaments: the one early last week and one last month in Lawrence, Kansas. David is looking forward to building the team up and getting them into shape for the fall season, as well as adding a women’s team to the program. As of right now, the team uses local golf courses as much as possible when winter hasn’t swept Lincoln into a snowglobe. However, there has been a generous donation for golf simulators to be set up in the Reiner Wellness Center, which will allow the golf team to practice year-round. 

Aside from coaching the golf team, David also teaches a golf class here at Union. David said, “It's fun to see people come through there and teach them some of the game, to watch some people kind of fall in love with it. Even just at a recreational level, not even a competitive level.” So if you’re thinking about taking up golf, consider signing up for the class and getting some credit. And if you want to go even further, try out for the team. 

As for the rest of athletics this year, our athletes are gearing up for the off-season. Soccer intramurals will run for the next couple of weeks, and that will be the last of intramurals for the year. 

So, that’s it from me this year. It’s been an honor keeping you up to date with our athletic news. Stay safe, good luck with finals, and we’ll see you in the fall for a new year of Warrior athletics.

By Sami Hoffer