Season Review: Men’s Golf posts strong finish in second consecutive winning season

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — The Ohio Northern men's golf team posted its second consecutive winning season in 2022-23, going 44-40 overall and capping it with a strong finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships.

After shooting a 324 in the opening round of the OAC Championships, the Polar Bears rebounded to play the final 54 holes with the second-lowest total in the field to move up from eighth place to fourth in the standings. To top it off, 10th-year head coach Chad Bucci became the school's all-time winningest coach in men's golf history with 322 victories, surpassing the previous mark of 312 set by Rick Ponx from 1993-2001.

"I couldn't have been any happier with five rookies playing in the OAC Championships and fighting back after their first 18 holes," Bucci said. "The way they performed was exactly what I was expecting."

The charge up the OAC Championships standings was led by freshmen Anthony Naso (Grosse Ile, Mich.) and Bennet Christy (Plymouth, Ind.), who each shot 302 to finish tied for 15th in the 45-man field. They were two shots shy of a top-14, All-OAC finish.

"Anthony and Bennet are roommates, and they pushed each other all year long," Bucci said. "Those guys, along with all the other freshmen, really have a great bond, as does the whole team."

As a team, Northern tallied 11 top-five finishes in 2022-23, which was highlighted by back-to-back runner-up showings at the Polar Bear Easter Classic and the Baldwin Wallace Spring Invitational.

"I have a very deep bench, and when we play in tournaments throughout the year, I use these scores for qualifying towards those who get to play in OACs," Bucci said. "This was by far the best year for freshmen to come in, and their commitment in the weight room definitely shows when we go play in other events. The power and physical stamina these guys have is unbelievable."

Individually, Naso finished the season with a team-best 76.6 average for 18 holes over 19 rounds, which is tied for seventh all-time at ONU.

Naso and Christy shared the team lead with a season-low round of 70. Naso shot two rounds of 70, doing so in the first round of the Polar Bear Easter Classic on April 7 and the third round of the OAC Championships on April 29. Christy's 70 came in the second round of the Music City Shootout on Feb. 26. Those scores are tied for sixth-best all-time at ONU for 18 holes.

Naso posted three top-10 finishes on the season. He tied for fourth at the DePauw (Ind.) Invitational, was the runner-up at the Baldwin Wallace Invitational and won Medalist honors at the Polar Bear Easter Classic with a 142 en route to being named OAC Men's Golfer of the Week.

Northern's other OAC Golfer of the Week honoree this season, senior Josh Steyer (Powell/Olentangy Liberty), played eight rounds and finished with a 77.5 average. His OAC accolade came after he led the Polar Bears with a 153 at the Berry (Ga.) Invitational.

"Josh was deeply missed in the spring due to injury. He played almost every tournament in the starting five all four years during his career," Bucci said. "I'm proud that he will continue his education at Tiffin University getting his MBA and acting as graduate assistant for the men's golf program, which is something that's well deserved."

Christy ranked third on the team with a season-average per-round score of 78.0 and led ONU with 20 rounds played. His season highlight came at the Music City Shootout, where he tied for second with a 146.

Two other Polar Bears finished with sub-80 averages in sophomores Andrew Briars (Maumee/Anthony Wayne) and Adam Trigg-Holdman (Cincinnati/Roger Bacon).

Briars had a season average of 78.1 over 17 rounds with a low of 74, which came in the second and fourth rounds of the OAC Championships. He achieved his season-best finish at the Baldwin Wallace Invitational, where he tied for sixth with a 78, and had three top-10s.

"Andrew is one of the shortest hitters on the team, but the guy is a wizard around the green and within 100 yards," Bucci said. "The championship course is a bomber's paradise, but if you have a great short game, you don't need distance, and Andrew is a testament to that."

Trigg-Holdman finished with a season average of 79.0 over 18 rounds and a low of 71, which came in the second round of the Music City Shootout. His season-best finish came at the Trine (Ind.) Invitational, where he tied for eighth with a 74.

"There's not another guy on this team that has the passion of being the best day in and day out," Bucci said. "Adam is probably one of the streakiest players on the team, and he can make a lot of birdies. I expect Adam, along with a power group of sophomores, to challenge all year long for the starting lineup next season."

Briars and Trigg-Holdman joined Naso and Christy on ONU's five-man OAC Championships squad. Briars finished tied for 23rd with a 307, and Trigg-Holdman tied for 30th with a 313. Freshman Joey DeSimone (Munroe Falls/Stow-Munroe Falls) rounded out the group, placing 29th with a 312.

DeSimone finished the year with an 80.0 average over 15 rounds, and his 74 in the final round of the OAC Championships was a season-best.

Sophomore David Walsh (Cincinnati/Moeller) and freshmen Austin Hanni-Wells (Findlay/Liberty-Benton), Wyatt Bowen (Columbus/Dublin Scioto), Evan Dennison (Ashland/Mapleton) and Will Copfer (Cincinnati/Moeller) also played in double-digit rounds for ONU this season. That group posted respective 18-hole averages of 81.1, 81.2, 81.7, 81.8 and 82.0.

After the season, four Polar Bears earned Academic All-OAC recognition. That group included Trigg-Holdman, seniors Andrew Lyon (Ottawa Hills) and Dylan Morris (Bellevue/Margaretta) and junior Jacob Brooks (New Albany).

Northern will look to build on its momentum as it prepares for the 2023-24 season.