Toledo Looks to Return to Top of the MAC in 2017

TOLEDO, OH - Toledo will look to return to the top of the mountain in the Mid-American Conference in 2017. The Rockets have been knocking at the door in three of the last four years under head coach Jamie Broce, posting three top-three finishes at the league's premier event.

"We've been real close as of late," Broce said. "I expect nationally ranked Kent State to be the favorite heading into the spring, but we have our sights set on winning the league championship. It is as simple as that."

For UT to capture its first MAC Championship since 2004, the Midnight Blue & Gold will have to rely on a youthful squad. The Rockets' roster will consist of two juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. In addition, they have another sophomore on the team, but he will miss the spring due to injury.

"We may be young, but we're hungry to get better," said Broce, who has led Toledo to five team tourney titles during his run as head coach. "Since we don't have any seniors, we have a chance to grow as a team over the next year-and-a-half. We're blessed to have eight great young men on our roster."

Despite having only two upperclassmen on the squad, Broce is anxious to get the spring season started.

"I'm super excited for the spring," Broce said. "I've never had a group have more fun and work as hard on their games as these guys. I guarantee we'll have a couple players come out on fire early this season."

Broce and the Rockets spent a majority of the offseason working on the mental parts of their games.

"We did something a little different than we've ever done before during winter conditioning," Broce said. "We worked a lot on programming our brains as far as dealing with course management and adversity on the course. We also worked extremely hard on our pre-shot routines and course strategy."

Broce understands his team may be a little rusty when they hit the links for the first time this spring, but he wants his players more mentally ready than ever.

"I want us to be more mentally strong than physically strong," Broce said. "That's what we've been doing during winter conditioning and it's really fun. Practices are definitely different than we've ever had been before."

The players have enjoyed the off-season training trying to improve the way they approach each shot.

"I think they had fun with it and really enjoyed it," Broce said. "They are finally understanding where some of the holes are in their game and that it's not so much in the grip or the stance, but more understanding of I shouldn't have hit that club or I can't get down on myself because it may have a bad effect on the rest of my round."

Coach Broce, along with graduate assistant Alex Fernandez, are attempting to get the players to not worry about what score they shoot. They would rather have them be mentally prepared to go out and execute a plan and have the confidence to pull the right club from their respective bags.

Leadership in 2017 will come from junior captains Stephen Watts (Larne, Northern Ireland) and Colin Joseph (Loveland, OH). The duo has played key roles during their first two-plus years with the program, and their leadership will be important for the Rockets this spring. They have earned respect from both the coaches and their teammates for their work ethics.

"Stephen and Colin are fantastic captains," Broce said. "They both bring a lot to the table as far as team unity, team building, getting everybody together, having fun and working hard. They are both natural-born leaders."

In the fall, Watts ranked first on the team and sixth in the MAC with a collegiate-low 72.4 stroke average. The third-year Rocket shot par or better on a squad-best seven occasions and was the team's top finisher in three events – Turning Stone – Tiger Intercollegiate (Sept. 4-5), Macdonald Cup (Oct. 1-2) and Mountaineer Intercollegiate (Oct. 10-11). Watts also posted a squad-high three Top 10 finishes in six events.

Watts' top performance in the fall was a third-place finish with a collegiate-best six-under par 204 (66-67-71) at the Macdonald event. He carded a career-best four-under par 66 during the first round and followed it up with a three-under par 67 in the the second round.

As a sophomore, Watts finished 24th in the conference and second on the team with a 75.1 stroke average in 12 tournaments. The 2015-16 Academic All-MAC selection shot par or better on eight occasions, the second-highest total on the squad. Watts was also the Rockets' top finisher at the Crooked Stick Intercollegiate (Oct. 12-13) at four-over par 220.

"Stephen played extremely well in the fall," Broce said. "His stroke average was under 71 until the last event. Stephen did a really nice job of utilizing all of his assets and taking advantage of his skills in the fall."

This past fall, Joseph ranked third on the team with a collegiate-low 75.8 stroke average in six events. His top performance was a 10th-place finish with a collegiate-best three-over par 213 (74-66-73) at the Macdonald Cup. The third-year Rocket carded a collegiate-low four-under par 66 during the second round.

As a sophomore, Joseph finished third on the team with a 76.7 stroke average in 12 tournaments. The 2015-16 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete shot par or better on five occasions, also the third-highest total on the squad. He carded a season-best three-under par 69 during the second round at the Mission Inn Spring Spectacular (March 12). Joseph also won a team-tying best two of three matches at the Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play event (Feb. 8-9).

"Colin's the guy you can always count on to fight to the end," Broce said. "It doesn't matter if he's struggling that day, he is going to try to find a way to get the ball in the hole a little faster the way he did before. That's always a quality that is necessary in golf, because there are some days that you just don't have it and you have to find a way to keep fighting. You can always count on Colin to keep fighting."

Besides Watts and Joseph, freshmen Thomas Thurloway (Crawley, England) and Grant Godfrey (Delaware, OH) will be staples in UT's lineup in the spring.

Thurloway ranked second on the team and 11th in the league with a 72.9 stroke average in the fall. He shot par or better on six occasions in six tournaments, also the second-highest total on the squad. Thurloway was the Rockets' top finisher in three events – Wolf Run Intercollegiate (Sept. 10-11), Inverness Intercollegiate (Sept. 19-20) and Saint Mary's Invitational (Oct. 24-26). The Crawley, England native recorded a season-best 12th-place finish at one-over par 217 (71-71-75) at Turning Stone – Tiger Intercollegiate. The first-year Rocket posted scores of one-under par 71 during both the first and second rounds at the Turning Stone event.

A 2016 graduate of Oriel High School, Thurloway has played golf since he was 12-years old, earning a permanent place on the Sussex County squad. Most recently, he tied for the 19th spot at two-under par 298 (74-72-75-77) at the 2016 West of England Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship. Thurloway also secured medalist recognition at the U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-18 County Championships and was the youngest winner of the U-18 event at 15-years old. In addition, he started playing for the men's first team at 16-years old and did not a lose singles match for three years.

"Thomas came in right away and played extremely solid in the fall," Broce said. "He's a good tournament player. I think his style of play with hitting it long really fits the college game well, and he has all the tools to take his game to the next level. For him, it's about fine-tuning a couple small things and really trying to get himself in the right position to win. That's what he's trying to focus on now."

Godfrey registered a 77.0 stroke average while competing in the final four tournaments in the fall. He carded a season-low one-over par 71 during the final round at the Macdonald event and his top finish was 44th place at 10-over par 220 (75-74-71) at the same event.

A 2016 graduate of Rutherford B. Hayes High School, Godfrey won seven events as a senior and earned second-team all-state, first-team all-district and first-team all-league recognition. He was also named Conference Player of the Year afte capturing the league's Low Stroke Award (36.2 stroke average) and finished 18th at the state championships.

"Grant brings a ton of enthusiasm to our team," Broce said. "He's always super positive, because he really believes in himself. My hope is his teammates feed off the energy he brings to the table. He also possess a solid golf game. I think he's still working through some past injuries, but he played fairly well in the fall. He always seemed to play 15 or 16 good holes during a round, but then have a couple bad ones. For him it's going to be about playing more strategically and eliminating those one or two bad holes that keep him from posting a solid round."

Also competing for spots in the lineup will be sophomore Jamie Knipe (Ballymoney, Northern Ireland), sophomore Spencer Shoemaker (Findlay, OH) and freshman Joe Bryce (Bathgate, Scotland).

Knipe registered a 77.0 stroke average while competing in the first four tournaments in the fall. His top performance was a 24th-place finish at a career-tying best eight-over par 224 (73-79-72) at the season-opening Turning Stone – Tiger Intercollegiate.

A year ago, Knipe tallied a 78.3 stroke average in eight events. He posted a season-best 11-over par 224 (78-73-72) at the FAU Slomin Autism Invite (March 25-27), including a one-over par 72 during the final round. Knipe also finished in seventh place at one-over par 143 (72-71) at the season-opening Notre Dame Kickoff Challenge (Aug. 30), carding a collegiate-best even-par 71 during the second round.

"Jamie is super-talented, but he hasn't had quite enough confidence in himself to push through and be a constant presence in our lineup," Broce said. "One of the things we're really working hard on with him is the mental side of his game. He has all the physical tools, so we are working on the other aspect of the game, the mental side."

Shoemaker registered a 76.7 stroke average in four tournaments in the fall. His top performance was a 34th-place finish at 11-over par 224 (74-76-74) at the season-ending Saint Mary's Invitational (Oct. 24-26). The second-year Rocket shot three-over par 74 during both the first and third rounds at the Saint Mary's event. Shoemaker also carded a season-best one-over par 72 during the final round at the Inverness Intercollegiate.

As a freshman, Shoemaker ranked tied for third on the team with a 77.1 stroke average in 10 events. He captured medalist honors at five-over par 149 (77-72) at the second-annual Rocket Individual Classic (Oct. 25), including a season-low even-par 72 during the second round. The Findlay, OH native also tied for eighth place at four-over par 146 (73-73) at the Notre Dame event, carding a two-over par 73 during both rounds to help the Rockets secure the team title.

Shoemaker carried the momentum from a solid freshman year over the summer, where he claimed medalist honors at the Midwest Collegiate Series at five-under par 139 (72-67) at the Findlay Country Club.

"Spencer's game is really coming around," Broce said. "He finished up the fall playing pretty solid golf. Spencer has a lot of talent, but we need him to be a little more cocky. We are asking him to have a little more confidence in himself and his abilities."

During the fall, Bryce registered a 77.8 stroke average in three events. His top performance was a 54th-place finish at 13-over par 229 (74-74-81) at the Mountaineer Intercollegiate (Oct. 10-11). He carded two rounds of two-over par 74 during the first and second rounds at the Mountaineer event. He also shot a season-best two-over par 73 during the second round at the Inverness Intercollegiate.

A 2016 graduate of Bathgate Academy, Bryce was a member of the 2014-15 Scotland Boys' Home Internationals Team and helped his home countrry win Home Internationals 2015 and finish runner-up at Home internationals 2014. He also played a key role, as Scotland won the Boys' Match at the School's International Event against England. In addition, Bryce placed eighth in 2014 and sixth in 2015 at the Scottish Hydro SGU Boys Order of Merit, as well as finishing second at seven-under par 281 (66-71-73-71) at the 2015 Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters Golf Championship.

"Joe is going to be a huge part of this spring," Broce said. "If we're going to be successful, he's probably going to be a very key person to help us get there. Joe always seems to shoot under par in qualifying. I think for him, it's just realizing that he can play that way during tournaments as well."

Sophomore Cameron Mills (Belfast, Northern Ireland) will sit out the 2016-17 season while recovering from knee surgery.

As a freshman, Mills registered an 81.9 stroke average in four tournaments. He carded a season-tying best six-over par 78 during the first round at Colleton River Collegiate (March 7). The Belfast, Northern Ireland native also finished 12th with 14-over par 158 (80-78) at the second-annual Rocket Individual Classic.

"Cameron tore the meniscus in his knee and is in the process of doing this rehab," Broce said. He's almost back to playing golf, but he has already kind of missed quite a bit of time, so we decided that it makes the most sense for him to redshirt this year."

THE SCHEDULE

Toledo will begin the spring with the sixth-annual Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play Event (Feb. 13-14 in Lake Jovita, FL).

"The Yestingsmeier Match Play Event is one of my favorite events of the year," Broce said. "The golf course really suits our players well, as there is a lot of risk and reward there. With it being a match-play event, players can let it all hang out and see where their game stacks up at that point. It's early in the year and players are coming off winter conditioning, so there is a little rust on their games."

The Rockets will then take part in the Louisiana Classics (Feb. 27-28 in Lafayette, LA), Mission Inn Spring Spectacular (March 18-19 in Howey-in-the-Hills, FL), Hoosier Invitational (April 1-2 in Bloomington, IN) and Boilermaker Invitational (April 15-16 in West Lafayette, IN).

"I like having a little continuity at that time of the year, especially heading into the MAC Championships," Broce said. "I think we will get that from our last three regular-season events," Broce said. "We are familiar with those three tourneys, so our hope is that we play well and gain some confidence heading into the conference championships."

The MAC Championships will be held at The Virtues Golf Club in Nashport, OH on April 28-30.

Players Mentioned

Joe Bryce

Grant Godfrey

Colin Joseph

Jamie Knipe

Cameron Mills

Spencer Shoemaker

Thomas Thurloway

Stephen Watts

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