(Anita) — The Spring sports season is well underway and CAM golfers have already begun nabbing wins on the links.
On the boys side, the Cougars are undefeated, winning two duals and taking topping the team standings in the first Rolling Valley Conference meet in Woodbine.
“We were at Avoca and hosted a meet last week at our own course and played pretty well,” CAM golf head coach Brian Fogelman said. “Anytime you’re in the early part of Spring, those weather conditions can play a big part in whether you play or not. So, the fact that we were able to get out both of those nights last week was really good for our squad to kind of shake the dust off a little bit.”
Leading the way for CAM are sophomore Chase Jahde and senior Seth Hensley, who have come out firing in 2023, averaging sub-40 scores in three 9-hole meets thus far.
“[Hensley] and [Jahde] are really great leaders for our team, not just in the scores but in the preparation, the level of competition that those two have competing with one another and also competing with other athletes,” Fogelman said. “It’s one of those things where I think Seth and Chase would both tell you that they really wanna beat each other, but if they don’t, they hope that the other one has the overall low score, so the team aspect is really an important thing for them as well.”
As a freshman last season, Jahde solidified his status as the team’s top player with a 9-hole average of 39.88.
“[Jahde] is a product of preparation,” Fogelman said. “The kid plays golf all the time. He’s not the guy who goes to the driving range and just hits driver. He starts with the short irons and the wedges and he spends a lot of time on the practice green. The thing that kind of sets him apart from others who prepare as much as Chase is his ability to flush when things don’t go well. That’s really what separates him from other individuals he plays against.”
CAM bested Boyer Valley by just two strokes, 176-178, at RVC last week, foreshadowing what should be a season-long battle between the two squads.
“That competition with a squad like Boyer Valley has been really good for us,” Fogelman said. “I think our focus in the conference is gonna be really competing with those boys from Boyer Valley in each and every conference meet, continuing to try to get better and trying to get those 3-6 guys along a little bit more so we’re playing the best golf that we can toward the end of the season.”
On the girls side, the Cougars have two players out for golf this season: Reese Snyder and Abby Tibken.
Snyder has served as CAM’s low scorer for her entire career and looks to continue that streak this season.
A 2021 state qualifier, Snyder enters her senior year with high expectations.
“[Snyder] has been here before, she’s competed at state, she’;s played a lot of competitive golf,” Fogelman said. “We’re approaching Reese like, ‘Okay, it’s your senior year, it’s your last ride, let’s get after this thing.’ Every shot counts, the preparation is really important and we’re gonna compete.”
Both CAM boys and girls golf teams will next compete at the second RVC meet in Atlantic April 10.
Click below to hear the full interview with Fogelman from Wednesday’s KMA Sports Feature.