It is now mid-April and we have been away from St. Lawrence for a little over a month now. As a senior — and especially as a member of the men's golf team — it has been a tough time to wrap my mind around. Losing our spring season and, for some, our last semester on campus, is unprecedented.
The golf team continues to stay in touch on an almost daily basis through our team group message. Our constant contact speaks to the connectivity of this group. The SLU men's golf team of 2019-2020 was the most tight-knit team I have been on.
We had a good mix of strong younger players and older players like myself who were able to offer guidance both on and off the golf course. One of my proudest moments as captain during this hectic year was when
William Wilson '22 won the individual title at our home tournament, the St. Lawrence Invitational. It was the first-time in my four years that one of my teammates was able to claim the title. Another proud moment from the fall season was our win at the Clarkson Invitational on our rival's home course, the Potsdam Country Club.
As my fellow student-athletes know, our play on the field, course, court or wherever the games are played is just a small piece of the student-athlete experience. I would attribute much of our team's success to our cohesiveness off the course. On weekends, it was commonplace to see the golf team hanging out around the townhouses or playing together on our great course outside of practice times. Co-Captain
Michael Bliss and I made it a point to have as many team gatherings and social get-togethers as possible to help create a bond between our players from freshman all the way up to seniors.
For the senior class, this has been hard; there's no two ways around it. You get into your daily routines on campus and you don't realize how much those things really mean to you until they're gone. I have had the privilege to play on our team for four years under Coach
Mary Lawrence alongside fellow seniors,
Will Luke and
Michael Bliss. Michael and I have been roommates for the last two years and have formed a friendship that will go well beyond our years at St. Lawrence. Will has also become a good friend and one I look forward to seeing in the future near Princeton University, where he and his family live, as my sister will be playing lacrosse there next year.
To my younger teammates and incoming recruits: value every single day on the golf course or in our indoor golf center. It may sound cliché, but it is absolutely the truth. Trust me when I say, you will miss it. You have everything at your disposal to succeed as a St. Lawrence golfer. You have an on-campus course. You have an indoor golf center. You have access to a high-end training room with great athletic trainers. You have
Craig Siddon, an assistant coach who has great knowledge of the game and is one of the finest gentleman you will meet during your time at the University. You have a head coach in
Mary Lawrence who is a mentor, role model and a true asset to the University.
Most importantly, you have each other, and you will always have the three graduating seniors from the Class of 2020 on your side.
Jake DeVito '20 is a senior on the men's golf team. This piece is part of a series of stories by student-athletes about how St. Lawrence student-athletes saw their academic and athletic plans change rapidly as the spread of COVID-19 across the nation caused St. Lawrence to make the transition to remote learning instruction after spring break. If you are a St. Lawrence student-athlete interested in participating in this project, please contact Aaron Todd at atodd@stlawu.edu.
