The men’s golf team finished fifth out of eight teams this past weekend and the women turned in a third place finish out of six teams, all while facing triple-digit hot weather at the Arizona Christian Fall Kickoff in Phoenix, Ariz. The two-day tournament spanned from Sunday through Monday and it was the Eagles’ first of the season. Junior Joshua Mathis shot 77 and 72 and tied for eighth overall to lead Biola. He was followed by freshman Kyle Schrader who shot 76 and 74 tying him for for 10th overall, and junior Conner Penfold shot 76 and 76 to tie for 12th overall. The other golfers for Biola were senior John Graham who finished 24th, senior Greg Bodine who finished 31st and freshman Micah Mathis, who finished 35th.

Biola improves after slow start

The team got off to a slow start, but picked it up in the second round.

“I think it was kind of just first tournament nerves,” Joshua Mathis said.

“Any time when it’s that hot, I think it definitely affects you because you get dehydrated really, really quickly,” Graham said, referring to the scorching temperature. “I definitely think the weather has a little bit to do with it, but not as much as some people might say.”

First tournament with both Mathis brothers

This tournament was not only the first of the season, but it was also the first that Joshua Mathis and his younger brother, Micah Mathis, competed in as teammates at the collegiate level.

“It’s awesome, we played together in high school and we had a blast playing together,” Joshua Mathis said. “It’s just fun, it just feels like old times.”

Team sets goals, anticipates upcoming tournaments

The men’s golf program has come a long way, Graham said. As a senior and captain of the team, he said there has been much growth in the program since his freshman year and even recently.

“I think over the last year and a half or so, we’ve really developed a lot of chemistry in our team,” he said. “I have many individual goals but a lot more of my goals are as a team, for us as a team.”

The men’s golf team will be busy competing in tournaments for the next two weeks. They will play in the California Intercollegiate Tournament Sept. 26-27, and then in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Preview Tournament Oct. 3-4.

“I feel like these first three weeks are going to set the tone for how the rest of the year is going to go,” Joshua Mathis said. “So if we perform well these first three weeks, I feel like it’s going to be an awesome year. … I honestly think this is going to be a big season.”

Women’s team finishes third behind strong performance from Marlow

The women’s third place finish was led by junior Lauren Marlow, who topped the Eagles with scores of 83 and 73 and tied for seventh place out of the overall 32 players. Her second round score of 73 matched the lowest score for a round in the tournament.

Eagles show improvement

Last year was the women’s golf team’s first year of competition. However, the team is already showing signs that they are moving in the right direction.

“The team did really well at the tournament this weekend. We have improved a lot in the past year,” sophomore Megan Anderson commented.

The other Eagles included sophomore Jackie Mata who shot 89 and 84, Anderson with scores of 94 and 88. Freshman Caylie Allen shot 93 and 94, freshman Amy Harris shot 92 and 101, junior Claire Prentice shot 94 and 99, and junior Beth Williams shot 102 and 92.

The Eagles’ next tournament is the Grand Canyon Women’s Fall Invitational from Sept. 26-27.

“I am excited for the coming season. We have added a few new players to our team this year and they are a great addition,” Anderson said. “I feel like we will all improve a lot and we will enjoy traveling together.”