Michigan Colleges: Oakland U and GLIAC Teams
Oakland University
Provided By Nick Pumford
Excitement is building as the Oakland University golf teams prepare to tee off for the upcoming season, with both the men's and women's squads eager to make their mark.
The Oakland men’s team will be led by Flushing native and sophomore, Robert Burns. As the leading returner, who averaged 72.5 last season, Burns brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the Grizzly squad.
This season is particularly special as the men's team will host their first-ever tournament, the Golden Grizzlies Intercollegiate, at the Oakland Golf and Learning Center’s Katke – Cousins Golf Course. Sponsored by Elliott Group International, this event offers the program a chance to shine on home turf against 14 other teams from across the country. The Golden Grizzlies will also see the sunshine state multiple times this upcoming spring as well, playing in Florida three times.
Adding fresh talent to the roster are newcomers and Michigan natives, Peter Roehl (the MHSAA Div. 1 State Champion in 2023) and Brennan Sullivan. They look to add depth to a squad with four upperclassmen and five underclassmen.
The women's team enters the season with a target on their backs as the reigning Horizon League Champions. They will do so with newly named Head Coach, Heather Fortushniak, a Brighton native. Sophomore Olivia Hemmilia will need to play a key role in their quest to defend the title. Hemmilia had a successful freshman campaign which saw her as a staple on a championship team.
The women's season kicks off at the picturesque A-Ga-Ming Resort in northern Michigan, providing an early challenge that will set the tone for the season. Additionally, the women will see warm weather this spring with the likes of Arizona and Florida in their travels.
With a strong returning core and the experience of last year's triumph, the Grizzlies look to defend their Horizon League Championship and once again, compete at NCAA Regionals.
Grand Valley State
By Logan Taylor
The Grand Valley State men’s and women’s golf programs will be heading into the new season with high expectations. Both programs return plenty of talent and experience with a goal to improve upon strong seasons a year ago.
Voted the Midwest region’s Coach of the Year, second-year head coach Gareth Lappin will get his first full season at GVSU after being named the head coach last year in mid-October. The men won six tournaments and placed fourth at NCAA Regionals to advance to Nationals for the third consecutive season, where they ended with a 10th placed finish.
Plenty of talent returns to Allendale this season, highlighted by First-Team All-American and GLIAC Golfer of the Year Drew Coble. Joining him are All-GLIAC and All-Region performer Manuel Cue Vargas, along with First-Team All-GLIAC members Bryce Wheeler and Charlie Cooley. Three newcomers will be joining the squad this year, with freshman Jan Eckhard, Ryan Gallagher, and Matthew Sokorai all making their debut seasons for the Lakers.
On the women’s side, head coach Rebecca Mailloux returns her entire starting five from the reigning GLIAC Champions. The Lakers won an additional two tournaments and advanced through the Regional to their eighth consecutive National appearance, finishing in 13th. Mailloux is now in her 17th season in Allendale and has won 13 GLIAC Championships and her teams have advanced to the National Tournament 14 times.
Leading the way for the Lakers is returning All-American and back-to-back GLIAC Golfer of the Year Olivia Stoll. First-Team All-GLIAC member Julia Sanchez is back for her senior season, alongside fellow seniors, and second-team All-GLIAC honorees, Megan Miron and Paula Badino. Rounding out the returning five is another second-team All-GLIAC selection in junior Rachael Krieger. Two freshmen, Charlotte Goersch and Lea Stotz, will add to the team’s young talent.
Both the men and women will open their season on September 9th at the Folds of Honor Collegiate, played at American Dunes Golf Course in Grand Haven.
Ferris State
By Rob Bentley
The Ferris State University men's & women's golf teams once again have high aspirations entering the 2024-25 season under head coach and Bulldog alum Sam Stark. Both teams return a strong nucleus for this coming season and annually rank among the top programs in both the league and the region.
Last season, the Bulldogs won the GLIAC Men's Golf Championship and reached the NCAA Tournament while the women's team advanced to the league semifinals and also received an NCAA Tourney berth.
The men’s squad made its 19th NCAA Tournament berth in the last 21 years, which ranks as one of the best stretches in the country, and finished ninth in the nation. Last year’s trip to the GLIAC finals for the men represented the 5th consecutive time in which FSU has reached at least the medal match play semifinals under the league format.
Two years ago, Stark was voted as the GLIAC Women’s Golf Coach of the Year after leading FSU to its first league women’s championship since 2007 and the program has now made three-straight national tourney bids.
The Bulldog men’s squad had a pair of Division II PING All-America honorees last spring in former standouts Caleb Bond and Nathan Kraynyk, who was the national runner-up while tying for second-place overall at the national championships. Stark was tabbed as the GLIAC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year in 2024 and freshman McCoy Biagioli earned the GLIAC Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year honor. Biagioli went on to win the 113th annual Michigan Amateur Championship, followed by a GAM Champiotship this summer and earned an automatic exemption into the 2024 U.S. Amateur.
On the women’s side, Kamryn Shannon was an All-GLIAC First Team selection and Dani Staskowski garnered second-team status while Lizzie Anderson claimed honorable mention all-conference accolades.
Ferris State’s returning standouts this coming year include both Biagioli and Shannon, giving the Bulldogs significant experience near the top of the lineup as they aim for both conference and national accolades this coming year.
Wayne State
Provided by Cooper Weidenthaler
Coming off another appearance in the NCAA Midwest/Central Super Regional, the Wayne State University men's golf team enters year No. 24 under veteran head coach Mike Horn in 2024-25. Expect another stellar campaign for the Warriors as the squad's top five primary individual scoring averages return from 2023-24. Those stroke averages belonged to redshirt senior Mat Hawryluk (72.5), redshirt senior Josh DiCarlo (72.6), senior Max Leppelmeier (73.3), redshirt senior Ian Smith (73.5) and redshirt junior Adam Burghardt (74.2).
DiCarlo, Leppelmeier and Smith competed in 13 of the team's 14 tournaments; Hawryluk played in 12 of them and Burghardt was part of the lineup for nine events. The team's three newcomers include a pair of freshmen in Troy Chapman and Jack Julian as well as Northern Illinois transfer Luc Warnock (redshirt senior). Warnock saw time in 18 tournaments during his four seasons as a Husky. The fall portion of the 2024-25 schedule gets underway on Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 7-8 at Saginaw Valley State's Al Watrous Invitational in Saginaw.
After appearing in the NCAA East Regional again last May, the Wayne State University women's golf program will begin year 11 of existence and season three under head coach Larry Hamilton. The Warriors lost their top three scoring averages from a season ago, which means junior Sabel Imesch is the top returner after an 81.2 average as a sophomore.
Also back are junior Orianna Bylsma (84.9 average) and sophomore Clarita Laffitte (82.5). Those two will be joined by two rookies in Ting Ting Kuo and Claudia Portillo Navas as well as Eastern Michigan transfer Sophia Wygonik (redshirt senior). Wygonik participated in 66 rounds in three seasons for the Eagles. WSU's schedule will open on Monday-Tuesday, Sept. 9-10 for the UIndy Invitational at Rock Hollow Golf Club in Peru, Ind.
