March 19, 2024

CSM Golf Team Wins JUCO Championship

JUCO Championship
The College of Southern Maryland golf team captured the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference (MD JUCO) title at the conference tournament in Hagerstown on April 26, the team finished the regular season 12-2. From left are Assistant Coach Layne Ponder, golfers Mark Burgess, Tyler Potts, Nick Garrafalo, and William Garrett, and Head Coach David Russell.

The golf team at College of Southern Maryland has captured the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference title at the conference tournament in Hagerstown on April 26. The winners of the JUCO Championship finished the regular season 12-2.

“I’m proud that the hard work on the part of all the players has paid off with some hardware,” said first year Head Coach David Russell of Swan Point.

This is Coach Russell’s first year as the team’s head coach. He previously served two seasons as the assistant head coach. He has also worked 14 years as head golf coach at La Plata High School, where he has been a teacher for 19 years.

The CSM team’s JUCO championship win is even more impressive because the team has just four players, all of them freshmen, competing without the extra fifth player. Still, the players, all of whom were reputable golfers on the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference high school golf circuit, proved they were up to the challenge. Tyler Potts, a graduate of Northern High School, represents the team as captain and is joined by Nick Garrafalo, a graduate of Huntingtown High School, Mark Burgess, a graduate of Maurice J. McDonough High School, and William Garrett, a graduate of Huntingtown.

“All of these guys have played at a high level and qualified for the high school state championships in various years,” Coach Russell said, adding that the players also worked hard to get ready for this season’s play. “This year it helped that most of the players are tournament-tested and put in the necessary time on the course during practice.” The team has been led this season in scoring average by Mr. Garrett, who was the 2016 SMAC most outstanding golfer.

The CSM Hawks’ coaching staff includes Assistant Coach Layne Ponder, credited by Coach Russell as being another reason for the outstanding season. “He is a legend on the Maryland Amateur golf circuit and will lend advice for both myself and the players on and off the golf course as a mentor,” Coach Russell said of Coach Ponder.

For information about CSM golf, visit CSM’s athletics page.

For more about the College of Southern Maryland, visit its Leader member page.

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