Koontz leads freshman trio of Thresher golfers
Koontz leads freshman trio of Thresher golfers
The Newton native, Gavin Rogers, and Colin Smith are ushering in a new atmosphere to the program.
This fall, the Bethel golf team welcomed three freshmen to its men’s team. One of these newcomers didn’t have to travel very far to become a Thresher: Newton’s own Caleb Koontz.
“My expectations [for myself] this season are to have fun and do well at the collegiate level playing a sport that most people just like to play for fun,” Koontz said. “My dad got me into golf. We moved to Sand Creek Station so living on a golf course was good motivation.”
During the 2022 Carmichael Cup on Sep. 19-20, Koontz finished tied for 54th with a total score of 237 through three rounds of golf. His best round was a 77. He also finished this tournament with a total of 29 pars with four birdies.
“I chose to come to Bethel because I’m a fifth-generation Thresher,” Koontz said. “I was also interested in playing golf here and knew some friends that also went to Bethel.”
Koontz played golf competitively for five years before coming to Bethel.
“My junior year of high school I qualified for state as an individual for golf,” he said. “I was named to the all-league team twice in high school and named to the all-regional team once.”
The transition between high school golf and collegiate golf can be a struggle with missing more classes than usual and going farther away to courses. “I’d say the hardest part of collegiate golf is balancing school work with how much class we miss with having weekday tournaments,” Koontz said.
With the addition of three new golfers, including Koontz, Gavin Rogers, and Colin Smith, the team atmosphere has shifted a little bit from last year.
“The team atmosphere so far has been great,” he said. “All the guys push each other to get better but have a good time when we are eating as a team or talking about fantasy football. Everyone on the team is also nice and welcoming.”
Koontz and the team’s most recent outing was at the KCAC conference match in Dodge City earlier this week. The team defeated York, tied with Tabor, and will be back in action next week on Oct. 10-11 for the Tabor Tournament at Sand Creek Station.