PERKINSTON — No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast won the NJCAA Division II men’s golf national championship not that long ago in May, and the new season tees off this weekend with a trip way up north.
That beautiful trophy sits back home at Perkinston, where it will do as little for the Bulldogs this year as if they’d carried it along. No mulligans, no gimmes. Gulf Coast will have to grind through another season to pick up a third team national championship.
“We’re pretty open with our discussions about the expectations for this year,” Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. “We’ve got roughly half our roster back from the national championship team. But it’s a completely new year, and we’re dealing with knowing we’re going to be the target every time we show up to an event. It deters you from worrying about those things. It has you focused on every single event. Every single opportunity we get to compete is going to be a learning experience for us. We’re hoping to win along the way and keep our streaks alive. Ultimately, our goal is to be playing our best golf at the end of the spring. Whatever we need to do to accomplish that is what we’re willing to do.”
The Bulldogs open play in the prestigious Folds of Honor Challenge in Allendale, Michigan. They made the l5-hour trip Thursday for two days of practice ahead of Sunday’s first round. The 54-hole event concludes Tuesday, with live scoring available at https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournament-leaderboard/234235/scoring/team.
Gulf Coast is one of three junior colleges participating in the 10-team field, joining Grand Rapids and Odessa. Golf powerhouses Grand Valley State and West Texas A&M are traditional NCAA Division II teams.
It’s the first of two national events the Bulldogs are taking on, skipping the first two MACCC events. They will play in the NJCAA Preview at Plymouth, Ind., starting Sept. 30. Their first conference event will be Jim Redgate Invitational in Meridian on Oct. 7-8.
“The whole reason we’re making these trips up north is to get used to the playing conditions,” Thornton said. “It may change slightly in the spring when we return to Swan Lake, but these are course conditions that we’re not as familiar with. The opportunity to get on that eight or nine days of practice and competition is going to be huge for us.”
Two members of the five-man team that won the national championship return. Peyton Russell (So., Gautier/Gautier) put himself on the national radar with his performance in Joplin, Mo. He’s a low-key, quiet guy who just does his work.
“Coming off his runner-up finish at the national tournament, Peyton is gonna garner a bunch of attention,” Thornton said. “He stepped into that role right off the bat qualifying for Michigan and really ran away with it. We’re expecting a huge year from him.”
Stanley Campbell (So., London, England/Essex Golf College) is also back in fine form.
“Stan came in right off the bat ready to go,” Thornton said. “I’m excited to see where they’re at compared to last year, especially starting off in this event here in Michigan against top-level talent across the board.”
John Mark Mills (So., Pontotoc/Mike Bender Golf Academy) and Ludvig Behring (So., Sollentuna, Sweden/Osterakers Gymnasium) represented the Bulldogs during tournaments last year on the five-person squads, and they’re both on the starting five in Allendale. Garner Seymour (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) has seen big progress in his game since devoting himself to one sport after high school.
The fifth Bulldogs on the team this weekend will be Harlan Yerger (Fr., Oxford/Oxford), who transferred from North Texas after redshirting at the NCAA Division I school. He’s settled in quickly after searching for an opportunity for more playing time and a shot at a national championship.
Andrew Miller (Fr., Tupelo/Tupelo) has state championship experience from high school, and he’s off to a strong start. He’s made the trip to play as an individual.
“He was able to battle it out down to the wire in qualifying and get on the van,” Thornton said. “To me, that’s one of the hardest things to do on our team, is to get on the van and make the trip.”
Grayson Lockhart (Fr., Starkville/Oak Hill Academy) and Toby Janes (Fr., Bristol, England/Brimsham Green School) are settling into the competitive environment at Gulf Coast. They’ve both gotten over some early hurdles well, and Thornton said they add a lot to the roster.
Thornton said the MACCC is getting better. East Central returns all their national tournament-qualifying team, and Meridian has added a couple of out-of-staters who should improve the Eagles. Three of the conference events are in Meridian and Philadelphia, right in those two schools’ backyards, which should give htem some home-course advantage.
Pearl River is expected to be much better, and Jones is on the uptick, too. Northeast Mississippi and East Mississippi have had good teams in the recent past and are making steps in the right direction.
“I think we’re still the favorites,” Thornton said. “Our expectations are still not just trying to win every event, but trying to win every round. It’s still attainable, but it’s going to be harder this year.”
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