Golf

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — Anton Olsson tied for 16th place to lead the Lawrence University golf team at the Midwest Region Classic on Monday and Tuesday.

Playing in cold and rainy conditions at Trappers Turn Golf Club, Olsson carded scores of 78 and 75 for a 36-hole total of 153 on the par-72 layout.

After a rough opening round score of 370, the Vikings turned it around and shot 324 in the second round. The biggest turnaround came from Nigel Schuster, who shaved 27 shots off his first-round score to shoot 79 in the second round.

Lawrence finished in 25th place with a score of 694.

The Vikings also played without standout player Rudi Pino, who was at home in Washington with his wife for the birth of their child.

Results

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University golf team had high expectations for the upcoming year, but those prospects ticked up a notch after a superlative start to the season.

The Vikings kicked off the fall season this past weekend by notching a pair of individual and team victories. Lawrence won the St. Norbert Invitational at Brown County Golf Course last Saturday and followed that with a win at the Lawrence Invitational at Eagle Creek Golf Club on Sunday.

“I don’t think we could have asked for a better start,” said senior Anton Olsson, who won his first collegiate title at St. Norbert.

Junior Rudi Pino then rolled to an impressive victory at Eagle Creek, winning by four shots over Olsson. The Vikings edged Marian by a stroke for the win at St. Norbert but rolled to a five-shot victory over the Green Knights at Eagle Creek.

“I was very satisfied because I would say that’s the best team effort from top to bottom since I started coaching at Lawrence,” assistant coach Chris Burns said. “It wasn’t just the scores, but it was the attitude and the effort the players put forth.”

It was the first time Lawrence has won back-to-back tournaments since May 2005 when the Vikings capped the season with victories at the St. Norbert Invitational and Midwest Conference Championships.

“I was just happy for the boys, especially since Nigel (Schuster), Nathan (Ley) and (Ryan) Clark are young,” Olsson said. “It was real nice to get something to build on. It wasn’t really a surprise that we played well.

“I knew both me and Rudi, especially Rudi, have been playing well the last couple of years. With Nathan and Nigel coming in last year, they have really been playing at their potential. This year, they looked great in practice. There weren’t any doubts that we would play well.”

The individual titles over the weekend were Lawrence’s first since John Pechan won the Ripon Invitational on Sept. 20, 2010.

Olsson had not played at Brown County before last Saturday so he took a cautious route to a four-over 76 and the victory.

“I was not playing aggressive at all,” said Olsson, also a goaltender on Lawrence’s hockey team. “I played safe throughout the entire round. I wasn’t going to chase any birdies. I was going to rely on my approach game if any birdies presented themselves. I didn’t take any risks. The biggest motivator was I wanted to beat Rudi.”

Olsson said he and Pino, who was his hockey teammate the past two seasons, have a spirited rivalry.

“It’s very competitive between us and that really helps. We play every week together and he’s been winning more lately. It’s fun to chase him,” Olsson said. “It makes it fun, but it’s also better for both of us.”

Olsson finished fourth in the Midwest Conference Championships last spring to earn all-conference honors. Pino, who missed the spring season due to a hockey injury, earned all-conference honors as a freshman in 2013.

“I think it’s the competition between the two that really pushes them,” Burns said. “They feed off each other as great athletes will do.”

Olsson and Pino are the team’s best players, but the Vikings have a nice supporting cast in sophomores Nigel Schuster, Nathan Ley and Ryan Eardley (currently out due to an injury) and freshman Ryan Clark.

“Now that (Schuster and Ley) are getting used to competing as sophomores, that’s really going to help our team,” Olsson said. “That’s been the biggest difference from the previous year where we had one or two players who could step up, now we have three or four.”

Lawrence returns to action on Monday and Tuesday when it travels to the Midwest Region Classic at Trappers Turn in Wisconsin Dells.

I’ll huff and I’ll puff

How windy was it on Sunday at the Lawrence Invitational? Olsson said he hit a 6-iron just 110 yards into the teeth of the north wind on the front nine. On the next hole, he hit a 9-iron 220 yards with the wind at his back.

“It was really tough conditions,” Olsson said. “Before the round, I said to myself, ‘If I get out there and I make a few mistakes, I’m sure I won’t be the only one.’ ”

Olsson, who shot 79 and finished second, was one of only three players to break 80.

“We won by a pretty comfortable margin because we didn’t let the weather affect us,” Burns said. “That’s one of the things I preach. You control what you can control.”

GREENVILLE, Wis. — The Lawrence University golf team made it a clean sweep on the weekend as the Vikings won both the individual and team titles on Sunday at the Lawrence Invitational.

Lawrence’s Rudi Pino carded a 75 to take medalist honors on the par-72 layout at Eagle Creek Golf Club. The Vikings shot a team score of 325 to win by five strokes over St. Norbert College.

The Vikings’ success on Sunday came on the heels of Anton Olsson winning medalist honors and Lawrence taking the team title at the St. Norbert Invitational on Saturday.

Playing in windy and cool conditions on Sunday, Pino won by four shots over his teammate, Olsson, and Finlandia University’s Dylan Peterson, who both shot 79. Pino, who birdied one hole on each nine, shot 38 on the front nine and 37 on the back.

Nathan Ley shot 85 and Nigel Schuster carded an 86 to finish the scoring for the Vikings.

Results (pdf)

ONEIDA, Wis. — Anton Olsson won the individual title, and the Lawrence University golf team took the team crown on Saturday at the St. Norbert College Invitational.

Olsson tied for medalist honors by shooting a 4-over par 76 on the par-72 layout at Brown County Golf Course. Olsson led Lawrence to the team title with a score of 319. The Vikings edged Marian University by one shot.

Olsson had three birdies on the back nine to shoot even-par 36 on the inward nine and claim his first individual collegiate title.

Olsson was supported by solid scoring from his teammates. Nathan Ley and Rudi Pino both shot 80 to tie for ninth, and Nigel Schuster carded an 83 to tie for 20th and complete the scoring for the Vikings.

Ryan Clark shot 87 in his first collegiate match and finished 29th for Lawrence.

Results (pdf)

APPLETON, Wis. — Jon Sheridan has been named the golf coach at Lawrence University, Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski announced Monday.

Sheridan, who returned to Lawrence in 2014 to take on the job of assistant hockey coach, will work with assistant coach Chris Burns, the interim head coach this past spring.

“Thanks to the efforts of Coach Chris Burns and former Coach Kalle Larsson, the golf program has improved its standing in the conference tournament over the past several seasons,” Szkodzinski said. “We are looking forward to Coach Sheridan continuing on that path and are thankful for Coach Burns’ willingness to assist in these efforts. Jon’s organizational skills and ability to relate to our scholar-athletes are just two of the reasons we are excited for this appointment.”

Sheridan, a 2011 Lawrence graduate, is an avid golfer and was a standout hockey player for the Vikings. He returned to Lawrence after two seasons coaching the American Collegiate Hockey Association team at Ohio University. Sheridan was the head coach in 2013-14 after serving as the assistant coach in 2012-13.

“I am very excited to be involved with the scholar-athletes on the golf team this upcoming season,” Sheridan said. “Chris Burns has been a tremendous help in this transition, and I am pleased to say he will continue to work with our team. He is a huge asset to Viking golf and will continue to be down the road.”

Sheridan was named the Central States Collegiate Hockey League Coach of the Year after his team finished second in the regular season this past season. A native of Midland, Mich., Sheridan played three seasons as a defenseman at Lawrence. Lawrence won 40 games in those three seasons and took the 2008-09 Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Northern Division title. Sheridan served as team captain and was named to the MCHA All-Tournament team in 2011. An Academic All-MCHA selection while at Lawrence, Sheridan earned a bachelor’s degree in biology. He received his master’s degree in coaching education from Ohio University in 2013.

The Lawrence golf team has finished fourth in the Midwest Conference Championships in each of the past two seasons. Lawrence returns all-conference honorees Anton Olsson and Rudi Pino for the upcoming season.