Royals To Begin Competing in 2012-13
HARRISONBURG, Va. --- Eastern Mennonite
University has announced that it will be adding men’s and
women’s golf programs, starting with the 2012-13
season. Both men and women will compete as sponsored ODAC
sports, with the conference also adding the women’s sport
next fall.
The new programs bring the number of athletic offerings at EMU to
17. The school also offers baseball, field hockey and
softball as well as men’s and women’s basketball, cross
country, indoor and outdoor track & field, soccer and
volleyball.
Director of Athletics Dave King is excited about adding the two
programs.
“It is very exciting to be able to provide additional
opportunities for students to participate in intercollegiate
sports,” said King. “When you recognize the added
value of playing collegiate sports to the educational experience,
it is gratifying to know that up to 20 more students will have the
opportunity to be impacted through being a member of the golf
teams. I believe the nature of practices and
competitions in golf will allow us to attain and then retain full
rosters.”
King said he hopes to have a head coach hired as soon as possible
to start the recruiting process. He feels golf is a good fit
for the institution.
“The interest and participation in high school golf is strong
in some of the university’s key recruitment areas and we have
had an increasing number of prospective students inquire about a
golf team. The proximity of a city owned golf course, the
growth of women’s golf in the ODAC and our interest in
expanding the athletic program to assist in reaching the enrollment
goals of the university, were all factors in our decision to add
the golf programs for next year.”
Dr. Ken L. Nafziger, EMU’s Vice President for Student Life
who oversees the Athletic Department, thought golf supported the
mission of preparing students for the rest of their lives through
an avenue the students were already utilizing.
“Several years ago students who had played competitively in
high school initiated golf as a club team sport,” said
Nafziger. “Once we saw sustained student interest and
the opportunity to attract academically-oriented students, both men
and women, to a sport offered by the ODAC and many of our feeder
schools, we decided to implement it. With good coaching and
recruitment, we believe golf team members can achieve both academic
and athletic success in a sport that they can play for a lifetime
with friends and business colleagues.”
The Royals will use Heritage Oaks Golf Course in Harrisonburg as
their home course.
“I am very grateful to Heritage Oaks Golf Course and their
head professional, David Johns, for their encouragement, support
and cooperation,” King said. “The course is kept
in great condition, it is conveniently located and the staff is
very good to work with. The Loyal Royals have also been a big
help as they are providing funding that allows us to hire the coach
this semester and support the golf club program this
spring.”
Brad Bankston, Commissioner of the Old Dominion Athletic
Conference, said EMU’s decision comes at an interesting
crossroads in the ODAC’s history.
“It’s always great to see member institutions working
to improve their offerings,” he said. “The
addition of golf at EMU is a testament to the school’s focus
on broadening its offerings to student-athletes in an effort to
accommodate a need on campus. Recent membership discussions
led to inviting Shenandoah University to the conference, and
internal championships and scheduling conversations have provided
schools the opportunity to evaluate their own offerings. EMU
will bring our number to 11 teams in the men’s golf
championship in 2012-13.”
Besides the talented depth of the men’s field, Bankston
explained that women’s golf is a growing area in the ODAC and
will become its 23rd sponsored sport.
“Its addition was not anticipated but happened at a time when
EMU was exploring adding golf,” said Bankston.
“We will start the sport with five schools
participating. Seven sponsoring members are needed to secure
an NCAA automatic qualifier in women’s golf. The talk
of adding the sport has other schools thinking about women’s
golf which could help provide the NCAA automatic in a few short
years.”
While the ODAC Tournament and National Championships are in the
spring, the golf season actually starts in the fall and takes a
break during the winter months. ODAC teams must compete in at
least three ODAC-endorsed events, some of which are in the fall and
some in the spring. Although there are no specific criteria
concerning length, most events are two days long.
Participating schools name a five-person team for each event, with
the official team combined score being the four best scores of each
round. More than five golfers may participate in an event,
although the extra athletes would play as individuals and not have
a chance to affect the team score.
The ODAC Tournament, generally held in mid-April, is a three-round
event which recently has been held at Bay Creek Resort in Cape
Charles, VA. The National Championships are held in
mid-May.
King said that the EMU golf teams will likely participate in three
events in the fall of 2012 and three more in the spring of 2013
before the ODAC Tournament.
Information on the coaching position can be found at: http://emu.edu/humanresources/
This release is courtesy of Eastern Mennonite's sports
information department.