The final golf tournament of the fall wrapped up on Oct. 22 and 23 with the NWC Men’s Fall Classic in Portland, Ore. First-year Scott Martin led the team scoring 1 under par 71, helping Whitman place third in the overall tournament. In other tourneys the team placed second, fifth, and sixth this year. Now with the last tournament of the season finished, the team looks towards the spring season with a slew of fond memories from the fall season.

One of the highlights for Head Coach Peter McClure was watching sophomore Andrew Welch and the team put up consistently high scores.

“When Andrew Welch won the first tournament that we had, at Lewis and Clark State College, he shot 73. The thing that really impresses me about this year is our scores . . . those were phenomenal,” McClure said.

The team has developed over the course of the season with the addition of three new players.

“We got three [first-years]: Scott Martin, Cheney Doane and Nathan Fischer. It takes time to become accustomed to the players and how personalities will mesh together, and it has just been as good as I could have hoped for. Everyone is getting along really well and supporting each other, helping each other at practice, and we are having a lot of fun while doing it. Everyone is aware of what we are trying to accomplish, which is winning the [NWC Men’s Fall Classic],” said McClure.

Captain John Abercrombie was delighted by the newcomers on the team and is convinced that they will have a significant impact upon the team as a whole.

“The [first-years] have made a big impact on the feel of the team; they are really lighthearted and have a lot of fun. They just go out there and work hard, but they are always joking and goofing around. We are always together and having a lot of fun,” said Abercrombie. “Andrew Welch has really connected with the freshmen and stepped into a leadership role.”

With such a young team, there is room for the group to grow together throughout the coming years.

“Because we are so young, we are making a lot of progress this year, so I am really hopeful for the future. The conference is getting a lot better, and I really think we have a good chance of stepping up our game and just making up some rounds and doing better than we ever have,” said Abercrombie.

With the spring season starting up around the middle of March, there will be more additions to the team.

“We do get two different new guys because two are on the basketball team; I think we will take the spring a little bit more seriously and really just try to improve,” said first-year Cheney Doane.

While the spring season is a few months away, Doane has high hopes for the future.

“Well the spring is the main season; the fall is the equivalent to the preseason. So definitely looking forward to getting back out there and competing, and as a team we have so much potential,” said Doane. “The goal is to win the conference, and as a team I believe we have the talent to do it.”