Senior Michael Mortenson, who won the Elite 89 award last spring, and the rest of the St. Thomas men’s golf team entered the season ranked No. 7 by Golfstat.com, the best national ranking in program history.

Coach Scott Proshek credited much of the success to the great leadership and unselfishness of the senior class.

“They’ve been fantastic leaders for the rest of the guys,” Proshek said. “They work hard. They understand what it takes. They’re the ones that actually changed the culture of Tommie golf.”

The Tommies finished seventh in Golfweek’s preview tournament of the NCAA Division III championships course in Miramar Beach, Fla., and look to carry momentum to the rest of spring.

Mortenson, All-American Alex Kapraun, Brian Parkhurst, John Young and Bennett Schroeder will lead the team, giving Tommie golf strong depth.

“An advantage for our team is definitely our experience,” Mortenson said. “We went to nationals last year so that will help us if we’re able to make it back there again.”

The Tommies will focus on consistency and low scores. The team, currently ranked No. 9, dropped its opening dual of 2013, a 295-302 defeat at the hands of No. 4-ranked St. John’s in Destin, Fla. Kapraun’s 69 and Parkhurst’s 77 led the Tommies.

The spring trip provides plenty of opportunities for the Tommies to get out on the course.

“It’s a great spring trip with a lot of purpose,” Proshek said. “One, to get ready for the spring season. Two, to compete against St. John’s. Three, to get comfortable and confident on a golf course the guys have not seen.”

Proshek said the team is a very close group and many of the players are friends off the course as well. This bond will help carry them through challenging moments throughout the season, such as injuries.

Alex Gabriel will not be able to make the trip, suffering a broken finger. Pat Larkin is also working to get back into form after recently spraining his ankle.

“It’s no excuse for our team,” Proshek said. “The guys know what’s at stake, and they continue to work very hard.”

The Tommies will compete in the Gustavus Invite on April 21-22 and the St. John’s Invite April 27-28.

“I’ve been here for four years. Golfing has been a huge part of my college career,” Mortenson said. “I’m just going to have fun, soak it up and enjoy as much as I can.”

If able to receive an at-large bid, the Tommies will compete in the NCAA Championships, starting May 14 in Florida. St. Thomas has never won a national championship in golf, but Proshek thinks differently about this year’s team.

“Most coaches would tell their players and recruits that they want to win a national championship,” Proshek said. “The difference with these guys is they believe they can.”

Tommie women’s golf sits at No. 22 entering spring season

The No. 22-ranked St. Thomas women’s golf team, led by Doyle O’Brien, enters the spring season looking to improve as the year goes on.

“We had a really good fall season,” coach Sara Evens said. “Hopefully it will carry over into the spring season.”

The Tommies finished fourth in the MIAC Championships in the fall, headlined by O’Brien’s third-place individual finish.

“We just try to play our best every time,” O’Brien said. “We just wanna try to win as many tournaments as we can and go out and have a great season.”

Other contributors for the Tommies this spring will be Erin Dingmann, Emma Wilson, Cassy Norton and Sophie Tuttle.

St. Thomas traveled to Phoenix, Ariz., for spring break to face off against St. Catherine and St. Benedict. They will host an April 13-14 tournament in Becker, Minn., as well as the Wartburg (Iowa), Carleton and Wis.-Eau Claire Invites in consecutive weekends.

“We’re capable of beating top teams in the conference,” Evens said. “We know we can win in any tournament we play in.”

Similar to the men’s team, the women are a close-knit group.

“We have a really deep team,” O’Brien said. “We all get along really well, which just makes the team dynamic throughout the season.”

The brisk March weather has made it difficult for the team to get outside and practice, but the women don’t use this as an excuse.

“It’s tough not being able to get outside yet,” Evens said. “However, we continue to work hard and improve every day so we’re ready once we can get outside.”

St. Thomas hopes to qualify for the NCAA tournament on May 14-17 in Destin, Fla.

“Everyone has their different areas that they need to improve and work on,” O’Brien said. “So as long as everyone just knows what they need to do and help each other throughout the year, we’ll be fine.”

Kyle Jonas can be reached at jona7984@stthomas.edu.