Ohio Wesleyan University | Battling Bishop Athletics

2008-09 Season Preview

[ Jeff Nieman ] Like many college golf coaches, Ohio Wesleyan head coach Jon Whithaus will face some tough decisions when he selects his lineup for each tournament this season. But Whithaus is in a position that many coaches would envy, given the abundance of talent on his 2009 Battling Bishop squad.

Returning for the Bishops in 2008-09 are 5 All-Americans, one additional first-team all-conference selection, and 2 other players who have finished in the top 5 of a tournament.

The 10 returning lettermen comprise one of the deepest squads Whithaus has had during his 12 seasons at Ohio Wesleyan, and he thinks that not only could they improve on their 14th-place national finish of 2008, but win Ohio Wesleyan's first-ever national team championship in golf.

"I am definitely expecting us to improve on last year's finish (at the NCAA Division III tournament)," Whithaus said. "Our returning players have elevated their game a lot, and our two freshmen are very talented and could make an impact."

Leading the returnees is senior Jeff Nieman (Maineville/Cincinnati Moeller), a 3-time All-America selection. Nieman was a third-team All-America selection after emerging as the low scorer through the 4 North Coast Athletic Conference tournaments and finishing in a tie for 50th place at the NCAA Division III championship tournament. Nieman was a first-team All-America pick in 2007 and a third-team selection in 2006. He led the Bishops with a 74.81 average during the 2007-08 season.

[ Tommy Harman ] Junior Tommy Harman (Perrysburg) was a third-team All-America choice in 2008 after leading the Bishops with a 23rd-place finish at the NCAA championship. He ranked second overall in the 4 NCAC events and averaged 75.37 in 2007-08, ranking fourth on the team.

Junior Jordan Benner (Beavercreek) was the Bishops' third All-America selection in 2008. He finished in a tie for 83rd place at the NCAA Division III tournament, capping a season in which he won medalist honors at the 2007 OWU Fall Invitational. His average of 75.12 ranked second on the team in 2007-08.

Senior Andy Schillig (Pataskala/Licking Heights) was an all-region selection in 2008. He won second-team All-America honors in 2007, finishing 10th at the NCAA Division III tournament. Schillig averaged 75.86 strokes per round to rank fifth on the team in 2007-08.

Senior Kyle Martin (Dublin/Wellington) was a second-team All-America selection in 2006 and won medalist honors at the 2007 NCAC tournament. He was a first-team all-conference pick after leading NCAC golfers in the four conference events during the 2006-07 season. Martin ranked seventh on the team with a 76.65 average during 2007-08.

[ Jesse Chiero ] Junior Jesse Chiero (Westerville/South) won all-region honors in 2008. He was the medalist at the NCAC tournament, helping the Bishops win the conference title, and ranked third in the NCAC individual standings in 2006-07. Chiero posted a 76.08 average during the 2007-08 season, ranking sixth on the team.

Senior Adam Claytor (Columbus/Wellington) ranked third on the team with an average of 75.24 strokes per round in 2007-08, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at Denison. Junior Michael Sarap (Cambridge) also has an individual top-5 tournament finish on his resume, tying for third place at Muskingum in 2007, and averaged 78.70 during the 2007-08 season.

Juniors Scott Hassee (Norwalk) and Peter Joyce (Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) are returning lettermen who also will be in the running to crack the Ohio Wesleyan lineup, along with sophomores Thomas Fox (Galion) and Scott Morris (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East). Hassee averaged 79.00 shots per round during the 2007-08 season, while Joyce averaged 83.50, Fox averaged 80.20, and Morris averaged 78.42.

Freshmen Caleb Chiero (Westerville/Central) and Nate Fridley (Sidney/Lehman Catholic) are newcomers to the Bishop squad. Both were all-state selections in high school.

Ohio Wesleyan opens the fall season with the Denison Fall Classic, the first of 4 NCAC championship events. The OWU Fall Invitational follows in short order, along with tournaments at Allegheny and Oberlin, before the finale at the Gordin Classic in Fredericksburg, Va.

The spring season commences with the Hunter Intercollegiate tournament in Savannah, Ga., then the Bishops return south later in the spring to compete in the Camp Lejeune (N.C.) Intercollegiate. Ohio Wesleyan hosts its annual OWU/Strimer Memorial Invitational, then visits Wabash to compete in the third conference event of the year before heading to East Lansing, Mich., to compete in the Fossum Invitational. The Bishops wrap up the regular season with the NCAC Invitational on May 2-3.

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