Congratulations the the Men's team for finishing second in the conference tournament, 12 shots a head of 3rd place.
Individually, Freshman Anthony Delisanti produced one of the greatest rounds in Valpo history by birdieing 6 of his final 9 holes to be the Conference Titleist. The second place player birdied the final hole so Anthony also needed a birdie to secure the title. Not sure, but I think they may have been in the same foursome.
Several players back next year so the program looks really good! Congrats to the players and coaches.
Competing in the third and final round of the Missouri Valley Conference championships, Delisanti fired a 30 on the back nine to shoot 67 and capture the MVC individual crown at the par-72 Country Club of Paducah course in Paducah, Ky.
Delisanti was five shots off the lead when the final round began on Tuesday. But after going 1-over on the front, he had six birdies — including the last four holes — to beat MVC golfer of the year Matthis Besard of Southern Illinois by one stroke.
It was a stunning performance with, especially so for an 18-year-old freshman who was one of the youngest competitors in the field.
Quote from: michael19 on July 26, 2022, 01:11:48 AM
Competing in the third and final round of the Missouri Valley Conference championships, Delisanti fired a 30 on the back nine to shoot 67 and capture the MVC individual crown at the par-72 Country Club of Paducah course in Paducah, Ky.
Delisanti was five shots off the lead when the final round began on Tuesday. But after going 1-over on the front, he had six birdies — including the last four holes — to beat MVC golfer of the year Matthis Besard of Southern Illinois by one stroke.
It was a stunning performance with, especially so for an 18-year-old freshman who was one of the youngest competitors in the field.
FYI, Country Club of Paducah is about an hour from Carbondale and the usual commute for many Southern Illinoisians. (my cousin lived in S. Illinois)
I have said this in prior posts, but I will reiterate that the men's golf coach, David Gring, has done an outstanding job building Valpo's golf program despite challenges of limited budget and resources. He builds enthusiasm for the program and seeks relationships (such as the one with Sand Creek Country Club) that are mutually beneficial to the program and other parties. These efforts attract excellent golfers who also excel as students. (note here that the women's coach may also be doing a similarly excellent job - I am just not familiar with her efforts).
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 28, 2022, 09:43:45 AM
I have said this in prior posts, but I will reiterate that the men's golf coach, David Gring, has done an outstanding job building Valpo's golf program despite challenges of limited budget and resources. He builds enthusiasm for the program and seeks relationships (such as the one with Sand Creek Country Club) that are mutually beneficial to the program and other parties. These efforts attract excellent golfers who also excel as students. (note here that the women's coach may also be doing a similarly excellent job - I am just not familiar with her efforts).
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Um, not really. She may be a wonderful coach and person but the team finished WAY last in the Valley. Illinois State won the Women's title with a score of 911. Valpo finished last with a score of 1005 which was 35 strokes worse than the second last place team.
Quote from: vu72 on July 28, 2022, 09:57:13 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 28, 2022, 09:43:45 AM
I have said this in prior posts, but I will reiterate that the men's golf coach, David Gring, has done an outstanding job building Valpo's golf program despite challenges of limited budget and resources. He builds enthusiasm for the program and seeks relationships (such as the one with Sand Creek Country Club) that are mutually beneficial to the program and other parties. These efforts attract excellent golfers who also excel as students. (note here that the women's coach may also be doing a similarly excellent job - I am just not familiar with her efforts).
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Um, not really. She may be a wonderful coach and person but the team finished WAY last in the Valley. Illinois State won the Women's title with a score of 911. Valpo finished last with a score of 1005 which was 35 strokes worse than the second last place team.
Not great results last year, but she could be building something (leveraging some of the great things Dave Gring has done). Hope that things improve in the next few years.
Quote from: vu72 on July 28, 2022, 09:57:13 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 28, 2022, 09:43:45 AM
I have said this in prior posts, but I will reiterate that the men's golf coach, David Gring, has done an outstanding job building Valpo's golf program despite challenges of limited budget and resources. He builds enthusiasm for the program and seeks relationships (such as the one with Sand Creek Country Club) that are mutually beneficial to the program and other parties. These efforts attract excellent golfers who also excel as students. (note here that the women's coach may also be doing a similarly excellent job - I am just not familiar with her efforts).
[/b]
Um, not really. She may be a wonderful coach and person but the team finished WAY last in the Valley. Illinois State won the Women's title with a score of 911. Valpo finished last with a score of 1005 which was 35 strokes worse than the second last place team.
So you are of the opinion that there are still a lot of holes to fill and strokes to be eliminated for the Valpo W Golf team. ;D
The men's team certainly has arrived at the top of the Valley! With one round to play at their home tournament, they hold a 15 shot lead over the second place DePaul team. Of the three Valley teams in the field, Bradley is closest, trailing Valpo by 28 shots! The two players fighting for Medalist honors are both Valpo players, out of a field of 99. Of 13 players at plus 1 or better, Valpo has three of them! Pretty darn impressive!
Quote from: vu72 on September 20, 2022, 08:56:12 AM
The men's team certainly has arrived at the top of the Valley! With one round to play at their home tournament, they hold a 15 shot lead over the second place DePaul team. Of the three Valley teams in the field, Bradley is closest, trailing Valpo by 28 shots! The two players fighting for Medalist honors are both Valpo players, out of a field of 99. Pretty darn impressive!
The team and the overall program is very impressive, but I will caution that the MVC has also improved quite a bit. Southern Illinois beat Valpo for the conference championship by 15+ shots (I think) last spring and Illinois State has been highly competitive in the fall against some of the better national programs.
Valpo won the tournament by 34 shots over Loyola and 35 over DePaul. Individually, they had team members place first, second and fifth.
How can our Women's golf team be so bad? 15th out of 15 today.
Can our Men's coach oversee both?
Men's team competes at the top of the conference yet Women consistently bottom
After the first round of the MVC conference championship, Valpo is in second - three shots behind Illinois State and five ahead of third place Belmont. Anthony Delisanti, who won last year's individual conference championship with a blistering last nine 30, is in second and is one shot behind the leader. Valpo also has players who are 4th and 14th after the first round.
Just like other sports, winning team gets an automatic birth in the NCAA tournament.
After two rounds, Valpo is in second - 9 shots behind Illinois State and 4 shots ahead of Northern Iowa. Anthony Delisanti shot 64 today (I wonder if that is a Valpo record for a competitive round) and is in first place by 4 shots.
The thing about golf and tennis is that the size of the college doesn't always determine how good the program can be. A good academic institution, like Valpo, that provides a welcoming family environment and a challenging D-I schedule along with a good home course and good practice facilities should be able to go nose to nose with the big guys.
Actually, I have often wondered why all schools like Valpo, in conferences where most schools are bigger, don't load up on NCAA max full rides in these sports on both the men's and women's side (it's probably around a total of 20 for all four teams - oops, forgot we cut MT a few years ago 😉) and dominate.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 24, 2023, 05:00:57 PM
After two rounds, Valpo is in second - 9 shots behind Illinois State and 4 shots ahead of Northern Iowa. Anthony Delisanti shot 64 today (I wonder if that is a Valpo record for a competitive round) and is in first place by 4 shots.
He tied the Valpo record and broke the Valley record for a single round. This from the news release:
He tied his own modern program record and shattered the Missouri Valley Conference Championship record for 18-hole score on Monday
It seems that Anthony really focuses when the lights are the brightest! The kid is only a sophomore! Might be Valpo's first professional some day! 64! wow! just Wow!
Through nine holes, Anthony has a three shot lead. Team title looks very doubtful as they trail Illinois State by 14 shots.
Anthony now has a four shot lead through 12. Team is only two shot ahead of Northern Iowa for second. :o
Anthony Delisanti again is the conference Medalist! Congrats to him and the team which finished second, seven shot ahead of third place.
Why cant we get the mens coach to take on the women?
That team is and has been awful...
Quote from: vu72 on April 25, 2023, 03:36:45 PM
Anthony Delisanti again is the conference Medalist! Congrats to him and the team which finished second, seven shot ahead of third place.
Last year, Anthony got an individual at-large birth to the NCAA tournament (and played well at the tournament, though he missed making the finals). Let's hope he gets an at-large birth again.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 25, 2023, 06:16:39 PMLast year, Anthony got an individual at-large birth to the NCAA tournament (and played well at the tournament, though he missed making the finals). Let's hope he gets an at-large birth again.
He did receive an NCAA berth last year, but it was not an at-large berth, it was an automatic berth and he has it again this season as the winner of the MVC Tournament automatically advances to the NCAAs. What a great performance by Anthony this week. I cannot say enough good things about the job Dave Gring does running our men's golf program.
Brandon - Thanks for the correction on the automatic individual birth from being medalist. I could not agree more with your comments about Coach Gring.
Quote from: beacons23 on April 25, 2023, 03:52:38 PM
Why cant we get the mens coach to take on the women?
That team is and has been awful...
Dave Gring has been a superb leader of the men's golf program. I don't know him as well as others here may know him, but from my perspective he has emphasized: 1. Build a positive culture, 2. Find and build a relationship with a high quality country club, and 3. Recruit great kids who are talented, but also fit the culture. He also assumes little funding from the university, so he takes it on himself to find ways to raise money (e.g., annual golf outing). However, I get the impression that this is just a personal mission for Dave and that he is probably paid very little for what he does (I assume he has another career). Thus, asking him to take more on may be unrealistic.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 26, 2023, 09:40:12 AM
Quote from: beacons23 on April 25, 2023, 03:52:38 PM
Why cant we get the mens coach to take on the women?
That team is and has been awful...
Dave Gring has been a superb leader of the men's golf program. I don't know him as well as others here may know him, but from my perspective he has emphasized: 1. Build a positive culture, 2. Find and build a relationship with a high quality country club, and 3. Recruit great kids who are talented, but also fit the culture. He also assumes little funding from the university, so he takes it on himself to find ways to raise money (e.g., annual golf outing). However, I get the impression that this is just a personal mission for Dave and that he is probably paid very little for what he does (I assume he has another career). Thus, asking him to take more on may be unrealistic.
One of the athletic department's crowd funding efforts during Day of Giving was for Men's and Women's golf recruiting. If anyone is interested the site is still open. The Men's goal is $15,000 of which $5450 has been raised to date. The women's site is down because they met their goal which, I believe, was $2500.
As for the women's lack of success (I.m being generous) the good news, if any, is that the team is very young. They have three freshman, four sophomores, one junior and one senior. The top three performers were all sophomores.
https://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/21/1col.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=3416
With two players making the regional and now the team getting a post season bid, Men's golf continues their success! Congrats!! GO BEACONS!!
https://www.valpoathletics.com/mgolf/news/2022-23/22097/valpo-mens-golf-accepts-invite-to-national-golf-invitational/
Can golfers play in both the NCAA tournament and the NIT equivalent?
Quote from: vu84v2 on May 04, 2023, 01:48:12 PM
Can golfers play in both the NCAA tournament and the NIT equivalent?
I'm not sure, but it would seem that because Anthony and Caleb are playing as individuals in the NCAA and that the other tournament is a team event, that they could.
Are Anthony and Caleb playing with the team in Arizona? I haven't seen their names on the leaderboard but have seen other team members.
Quote from: valpo64 on May 20, 2023, 07:38:35 AM
Are Anthony and Caleb playing with the team in Arizona? I haven't seen their names on the leaderboard but have seen other team members.
[/quote
It doesn't look like it at least for the first round.
http://www.valpoathletics.com/mgolf/news/2022-23/22137/kostouros-leads-way-with-strong-first-day-at-ngi/
According to this, both are ineligible :(
Fantastic results from our top two golfers! Caleb wins the Minnesota State Open, beating pros by a lot and Anthony wins his US Amateur Sectional and now will play in the US Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills in Denver!
https://www.valpoathletics.com/mgolf/news/2023-24/22174/delisanti-wins-us-amateur-qualifier-vanarragon-captures-minnesota-state-open/?fbclid=IwAR17gd4rPU0bIbzWnUctBJUQi_UrW2kOdhD4FkdyJaGkz-qxoiPZA_SqrTY
Quote from: vu72 on July 13, 2023, 10:16:52 AM
Fantastic results from our top two golfers! Caleb wins the Minnesota State Open, beating pros by a lot and Anthony wins his US Amateur Sectional and now will play in the US Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills in Denver!
https://www.valpoathletics.com/mgolf/news/2023-24/22174/delisanti-wins-us-amateur-qualifier-vanarragon-captures-minnesota-state-open/?fbclid=IwAR17gd4rPU0bIbzWnUctBJUQi_UrW2kOdhD4FkdyJaGkz-qxoiPZA_SqrTY
Delisanti was medalist by five shots and qualified with a nine shot margin. That is impressive! Would be great to see him make it past stroke play to match play....or, better yet, go deep into match play.
Holy cow! Caleb finished 23 under!!!
http://www.valpoathletics.com/mgolf/news/2023-24/22182/vanarragon-sustains-spectacular-summer-by-winning-mga-amateur-championship-qualifying-for-3m-open/
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 26, 2023, 11:07:37 AM
Holy cow! Caleb finished 23 under!!!
http://www.valpoathletics.com/mgolf/news/2023-24/22182/vanarragon-sustains-spectacular-summer-by-winning-mga-amateur-championship-qualifying-for-3m-open/
Check out the tv interview with him starting at 1:45. Quite the kid!
https://kstp.com/minnesota-sports/2023-3m-open-interviews-hoge-vanarragon-capan-iii/
And, he's playing in the PGA tour event in Minneapolis. Currently 5 over. No change he'll make the cut. But still....
Quote from: talksalot on July 27, 2023, 08:55:20 PM
And, he's playing in the PGA tour event in Minneapolis. Currently 5 over. No change he'll make the cut. But still....
He is currently ahead of eight pros and tied with two others. I can only imagine the pressure of playing in you first pga event, along side guys like Justin Thomas and Tony Finau. I wonder if any other Valpo golfers have ever tied it up in a pga event?
Quote from: vu72 on July 28, 2023, 10:36:26 AM
Quote from: talksalot on July 27, 2023, 08:55:20 PM
And, he's playing in the PGA tour event in Minneapolis. Currently 5 over. No change he'll make the cut. But still....
He is currently ahead of eight pros and tied with two others. I can only imagine the pressure of playing in you first pga event, along side guys like Justin Thomas and Tony Finau. I wonder if any other Valpo golfers have ever tied it up in a pga event?
Caleb is 2 under after 3 holes on the day. He is still six off the cutline, but he is currently ahead of a lot more pros than he was before.
I am very confident that Caleb is the first Valpo golfer to play in a PGA tour event.
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 28, 2023, 03:18:04 PM
Quote from: vu72 on July 28, 2023, 10:36:26 AM
Quote from: talksalot on July 27, 2023, 08:55:20 PM
And, he's playing in the PGA tour event in Minneapolis. Currently 5 over. No change he'll make the cut. But still....
He is currently ahead of eight pros and tied with two others. I can only imagine the pressure of playing in you first pga event, along side guys like Justin Thomas and Tony Finau. I wonder if any other Valpo golfers have ever tied it up in a pga event?
Caleb is 2 under after 3 holes on the day. He is still six off the cutline, but he is currently ahead of a lot more pros than he was before.
I am very confident that Caleb is the first Valpo golfer to play in a PGA tour event.
Caleb shot a 1 under par 70 in the second round. Missed the cut, but breaking par in a PGA Tour round is another impressive milestone.
Are both Anthony and Caleb returning next year? What about the rest of the team?
Quote from: valpo64 on July 31, 2023, 04:16:10 PM
Are both Anthony and Caleb returning next year? What about the rest of the team?
Yes. The only player lost is Yanni Kostouros, who played #3. We've added a couple of freshman, the best of which seems to be Elliott Lee, who won the Oregon high school championship each of the last two years.
Excuse me, but how are we getting these incredible golfers to come to, of all places, NW Indiana?
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 31, 2023, 09:28:14 PM
Excuse me, but how are we getting these. Incredible golfers to come to, of all places, NW Indiana?
Simple...Dave Gring is an outstanding coach.
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 31, 2023, 09:28:14 PM
Excuse me, but how are we getting these. Incredible golfers to come to, of all places, NW Indiana?
I'm pretty sure it's the weather!
Quote from: vu72 on August 01, 2023, 08:06:09 AM
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 31, 2023, 09:28:14 PM
Excuse me, but how are we getting these. Incredible golfers to come to, of all places, NW Indiana?
I'm pretty sure it's the weather!
Yes, like Rick in Casablanca, they came for the weather, but as Rick says to Renault, "I was misinformed."
Good coach, opportunities to stand out, probably a lot of helpful academic aid. Less a need to worry about what conference you play in since it's score based etc. Smaller schools can do a better job of building strong programs in smaller sports that have a more reasonable pool to pull from as well. You don't have the same sort of "stars in your eyes" on the recruiting trail that high profile sports have.
Also, a lot of these players may have a different perspective on why they want to play a sport in college.
Quote from: crusader05 on August 01, 2023, 10:12:14 AM
Good coach, opportunities to stand out, probably a lot of helpful academic aid. Less a need to worry about what conference you play in since it's score based etc. Smaller schools can do a better job of building strong programs in smaller sports that have a more reasonable pool to pull from as well. You don't have the same sort of "stars in your eyes" on the recruiting trail that high profile sports have.
Also, a lot of these players may have a different perspective on why they want to play a sport in college.
"Good coach" really doesn't capture the outstanding job that Dave Gring has done (not that you meant any disrespect). Dave decided what was needed for Valpo to have a really good golf program and took it on himself to get those things done. Valpo needed a strong course to call home, as a poor course would definitely hurt recruiting (in the 1980s, Valpo's home course was Forest Park). Dave worked out a deal with Sand Creek. The golf program needed additional funding for a variety of things that the athletic department couldn't afford to fund, so Dave organized various activities (e.g., annual golf outing) and engaged with people who would be most interested in the program and could donate money. He has then recruited better players via his optimistic - but realistic - vision of what Valpo golf can be, as well as leveraging the university's other strengths (strong academics).
Valpo finished tied for 3rd in the Air Force Academy's tournament in Colorado. Better, Caleb Van Arragon won medalist honors after winning the first playoff hole.
Quote from: vu84v2 on September 13, 2023, 09:51:06 PM
Valpo finished tied for 3rd in Air Force Academy's tournament in Colorado. Better, Caleb Van Arragon won medalist honers after winning the first playoff hole.
Meanwhile the women's team is atrocious. How can there be such a dichotomy and when can it be fixed?
If our basketball teams are going to be mediocre at best perhaps our non revenue teams can be competitive?
Quote from: Valpo14 on September 14, 2023, 11:41:54 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on September 13, 2023, 09:51:06 PM
Valpo finished tied for 3rd in Air Force Academy's tournament in Colorado. Better, Caleb Van Arragon won medalist honers after winning the first playoff hole.
Meanwhile the women's team is atrocious. How can there be such a dichotomy and when can it be fixed?
If our basketball teams are going to be mediocre at best perhaps our non revenue teams can be competitive?
It's a fair question. It appears that the coach has brought in at least one player with a decent record but the normal suspects for top players remain the same. This team not only finishes last, they finish last by a lot!
After two rounds, the men's team has a 16 shot lead in its own tournament and Caleb Van Arragon has a 12 shot lead individually. Not the strongest field, but Valpo is playing without its other top player.
Valpo wins their own tourney by 13 shots (without one of its top 2 players). Caleb VanArragon wins the individual title by 16 shots (15 under par for three rounds).
Quote from: vu84v2 on September 19, 2023, 09:41:13 PM
Valpo wins their own tourney by 13 shots (without one of its top 2 players). Caleb VanArragon wins the individual title by 16 shots (15 under par for three rounds).
And he/they did it in a steady rain! Amazing stuff!
Quote from: vu72 on September 20, 2023, 06:56:13 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on September 19, 2023, 09:41:13 PM
Valpo wins their own tourney by 13 shots (without one of its top 2 players). Caleb VanArragon wins the individual title by 16 shots (15 under par for three rounds).
And he/they did it in a steady rain! Amazing stuff!
Really good players attack those soft greens.