TOLEDO, Ohio — University of Toledo Head Men's Golf Coach Jeff Roope announced the signing of Mason Deal (Perrysburg, Ohio) and Bence Kotel (Tihany, Hungary) to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. The duo will attend the University of Toledo beginning in the 2022-23 academic year.

Deal has been one of the top golfers in Northwest Ohio during his prep career at Perrysburg High School.  A multi-sport athlete, Deal has been one of the best tennis players in the region during that time.  A state qualifier for golf and tennis as a freshman and a district runner-up in both sports as a junior, Deal posted a scoring average of 70.36 and registered two first-place, three second-place and one third-place finishes in six Toledo junior events in 2021. He was named the Toledo Junior Golf Association Player of Year in 2020 and carded a TJGA golf record nine-under 63 (35-28) at Belmont Country Club. Deal won OHSAA sectionals this fall at Stone Ridge Golf Club posting a five-under par 67.  Deal has also excelled regionally and nationally finishing third at both the 2020 George Holliday Memorial (72-74-68) in Myrtle Beach, S.C. as well as the 2021 Ohio Junior Amateur (69-73) in Zanesville, Ohio.
 
"We are so thrilled that Mason decided to stay close to home and become a Rocket!" Roope said. "Mason absolutely loves competition, and he is more than willing to jump into events at all levels and push himself to be better. It's one of the things that made him so perfect to join our team. He's a really talented player already, but I can't wait to see what he becomes when you surround him with players like we have our current squad."
 
Kotel has won numerous titles in his homeland of Hungary with impressive performances. He is a two-time champion at the Hungarian Amateur in 2020 (67-71-71) and 2021 (77-71-71) as well as the Hungarian Junior Open in 2020 (72-73-71) and 2021 (70-69-70). Kotel also won the Slovenian International Amateur twice in 2020 (73-69-67-68) and 2021 (73-69-69-67).  Ranked inside the Top 600 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), Kotel has been a member of many national and regional select teams competing in events throughout Europe.
 
"We are extremely excited to have Bence join us next year," Roope said. "This young man has become a champion in an area of Europe that is a hidden gem and a relatively new hotspot in the world of junior golf. That whole region is producing a ton of talented collegiate players, and Bence is one of the players leading the way. He's not afraid to go low and he thrives on winning, a great combination.  His support network of family, teachers, and coaches have been instrumental in his development and should allow for an easy transition into a similar setup at Toledo."