MSUB Men's Golf Fall Season Preview

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, September 7, 2015 Yellowjacket men’s golf season preview

With a new-look team taking the course for MSUB in the fall of 2015, the Yellowjacket men’s golf team is ready for a productive season beginning with match play against Rocky Mountain College this weekend.

BILLINGS, Mont. – With a full slate of five events scheduled for the fall of 2015, the Montana State University Billings men’s golf team officially kicks its season off this weekend with a match play event against Rocky Mountain College.

The Yellowjackets will then play tournaments in Denver, hosted by Regis University, Lacey, Wash., hosted by Saint Martin’s University, and Chico, Calif., hosted by Chico State University.

MSUB’s fall schedule will wrap up with the Yellowjacket Fall Invitational running Oct. 8-9 at Pryor Creek Golf Club in Huntley, Mont.

“We have a lot of new faces, and the only person with playing experience coming back from last year is Parker Bradbury,” commented MSUB head coach Shawn O’Brien on his young team. “We have a lot of talent, and I am very eager to get the season going and see how we play.”

The 2015-16 squad features four freshmen, who will compete for playing time off the bat. High school teammates Scott Larson and Cody Sherrill (Kalispell, Mont. – Glacier HS) will be joined by Braden Luper of Twin Falls, Idaho and Billings native Austin Walter whose sister Sammy is a sophomore on MSUB’s women’s team.

Taking on a leadership role for the ‘Jackets this season will be Connor Miele, a junior transfer from Saint Martin’s University who will be competing in his first season at MSUB. As a freshman during the 2012-13 season, Miele led the Saints in scoring average with a mark of 74.9 over 18 rounds.

“Connor has really stepped up, he is our team captain,” O’Brien said. “He has been there for the younger players, and has come in and led by example. He has also played a major role leading the team off the course.”

Junior Captain Connor Miele.

Also with playing experience for MSUB is Bradbury, who averaged a score of 80.9 over seven rounds with MSUB in 2014-15. Bradbury’s low round was a 74 and he had one top-10 finish as a true freshman.

The ‘Jackets will also welcome back sophomore Dylan Meccage, who redshirted in 2014-15, and junior Michael Porter who transferred after two seasons at North Idaho College.

“Connor Miele, Michael Porter, and Braden Luper are really some faces that are going to evolve in the first few weeks,” O’Brien said. “When we looked at our schedule and not having a lot of playing experience, we wanted to play the match play here at home against Rocky first to give our new faces some time to get comfortable. Then we will go on the road to Denver where we can get a solid tournament in against division two opponents.”

MSUB finished in fifth place at last season’s GNAC Championships, and graduated senior Jake Hedge who represented the Yellowjackets at the 2015 NCAA Division II West Region Championships in Vallejo, Calif.

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