Coaches from other sports find common ground on golf course
Dylan Szegedi is a football coach.
Collin Welch’s specialty is basketball.
But both will be coaching golf the spring.
Szegedi, Summerfield’s varsity football coach, is adding a new sport to his resume at the school.
“Golf and football are very different sports, but, at the end of the day, coaching is coaching,” he said. “Just like it is my job to teach my football players proper fundamentals and techniques, it is also my job to teach my golfers the same things. I am really looking forward to learning the best ways to coach my players and help them improve every day.”
Welch, a 2014 Bedford graduate, was a member of the varsity basketball team for three years there, then served as student manager for four years at Toledo under men’s basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk.
He coached the freshmen boys at Bedford and the eighth-grade boys at Whiteford before become an assistant for the junior varsity and varsity boys at Whiteford.
He is taking his first varsity coaching job seriously.
“Golf is different for every single person who plays,” he said. “We are doing a lot of range work and we will play together. I have also been asking them to tune into more golf coverage and the PGA tour guys on the weekends to gather info on the rules and mannerisms on the course.”
Both Szegedi and Welch fell in love with golf at an early age.
“I started golfing when I was 7 or 8,” Szegedi said. “My dad played for the majority of his adult life and he got me started playing at a very young age. He and I still play together to this day. I have always loved the game of golf.
“Being a college athlete was difficult, the season was very long and physically and mentally draining. Golf was an incredible diversion from that. Since my athletic career ended, golf has become my passion. I play as much as I possibly can.”
Welch’s story is similar.
“I got my first set of golf clubs before I was in Pre-K and my first lessons followed shortly after,” he said. “I would ride around on the course every chance I got with my dad when he played when I was young.
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“Growing up other sports kind of took over. I would play casually until I started taking it seriously in college.”
He has enlisted his brother Nick Welch and longtime friend Brad Boss to help with the golf team.
“Both are retired college athletes who play a ton of golf with me,” he said.
Szegedi and Welch are two of the three new golf coaches in the Monroe County Region this spring. The other is Jeff Kansier at St. Mary Catholic Central. He was already the girls coach there and is adding the boys team to his duties.
Previews for all of the Region teams follow.
AIRPORT
Coach: Willie Hammar, seventh year.
Top players: Jacob Trythall, Aaron Maddick, Aiden Gannon, Brayden Siders, Landon McGregor.
Season outlook: Trythall, Maddick and Gannon were three of the top shooters last season. Siders and McGregor will add depth as freshmen.
Coach’s comments: “Last season me took our lumps. This year with our added experience and the addition of some promising freshman I anticipate a much more competitive team.”
BEDFORD
Coach: Brad Reed, seventh year.
Top players: Seniors Carter Klawonn, Spencer Eighmey, Frank Soss, Jayce Yarad, Cam Price, Boston Gallup, Cobin Stelmaszak; sophomores Taleon Guess, Connor Urbanski.
Season outlook: Eight of the 29 golfers for the Mules earned varsity letters in the sport last season.
Coach’s comments: “This will be the most experienced team that I have returning … We have a deep and experienced group that will compete in the SEC Red Division and be at the top of the league. Other goals for the year are to repeat as Monroe County champions and qualify for the state championship.”
DUNDEE
Coach: Brian Evans, second year.
Top players: Seniors Carter Bahn, Andy Barnes; freshman Levi Evans.
Season outlook: The Vikings have a small roster, but Evans expects contributions Gus Dobberstein, Ellie Salenbien, Trent Vajcner and Jonah Goins.
Coach’s comments: “We look to be competitive this year in the LCAA and the region. We have a small team this year but have a solid roster from top to bottom.”
ERIE MASON
Coach: Stacy Grimes, eighth year.
Top players: Seniors Mia Balcerzak, Cam McMillen, Patrick Cousino, Jessica Lay, Kaiden Smith; junior Brooklyn Langenderfer; sophomore Nic May.
Season outlook: Balcerzak, McMullen, Cousino and May all are in contention for the No. 1 spot.
Coach’s comments: “This team has improved every year and I expect them to continue.”
FLAT ROCK
Coach: Marc Villemure, eighth year.
Top players: Senior Laran Rogier; juniors Mitchell Smith, Evan Little; sophomore Ben Scully,
Season outlook: A year of experience should help the Rams, who played a lot of close matches last season and made a strong showing at regionals. Three freshmen could contribute immediately.”
Coach’s comments: “We feel very optimistic returning four players that contributed last year, some key players showing improvement … We hope to be competitive each and every time out.”
GIBRALTAR CARLSON
Coach: Rocco Giorgi, 16th year.
Top players: Seniors Jase Marcott, Landon Kongeal, Hagan Smith; sophomore Trenton Ison.
Season outlook: Marcott, Kongeal and Smith all averaged in the low 40s last season and helped Carlson qualify for state.
Coach's comments: “We are returning a lot of players with a lot of experience. We hope to have a very successful season. We had 28 players try out this year for the team. We kept 17 quality golfers.”
IDA
Coach: Jeremy Potter, ninth year.
Top players: Seniors Zack Bailey, Wade Johnston, Andrew Bolick; juniors Davin Slater, Michael Wolfe, Tiernan Strimpel; sophomore Alex Faryniarz.
Season outlook: Bailey, Slater, Johnston and Wolfe return four of the top five scoring averages from last year’s team. Faryniarz is a transfer, playing his first year of competitive golf, could crack the top three on the team.
Coach’s comments: “We have our largest squad (15 players) since 2016. We had a great winter working on our swings and short games in the indoor varsity golf lab. The depth and experience is there for this team to challenge for the league title in a very competitive LCAA.”
JEFFERSON
Coach: Jonathan Gwizdak, third year.
Top players: Senior Joseph Provost III, junior Ayden Eppler; sophomores Ben Peer, Gage Carter.
Season outlook: Provost and Eppler will be counted on for leadership for the young squad that includes six freshmen.
Coach’s comments: “I am looking forward to this season, my third leading the Bears program, as we look to establish a consistent presence in the Huron League.”
MILAN
Coach: Scott Loehndorf, 10th year.
Top players: Beau Leblanc, Matthew Johnson, Jackson Raasch, Chris Bergeron, Antonio Davis; juniors Max Jenness, Logan McClaran, Bryce Dunn.
Season outlook: Jenness and LeBlanc should be the top two players. Loehndorf is excited about the improvement by the others players and the addition of Dunn.
Coach’s comments: “This team is just so much fun and such a close-knit group. It's going to be nice starting all upperclassman this season and having the freshman and sophomores learn from them.”
MONROE
Coach: Ernie Sellers, fourth year.
Top players: Seniors Aidan Coury, Lukas Johnson, Camden Schmidt; juniors Brenden McCulloch, Jack Drougal.
Season outlook: Sellers believe that Coury and McCulloch has a chance to make the All-Southeastern Conference Red team.
Coach’s comments: “Our goal is to win the County Championship and finish in the top three in the SEC Red.”
NEW BOSTON HURON
Coach: Eric Clark, third year.
Top players: Seniors Anthony Robbins, Aidan O’Kelly, Tony Trupiano; juniors Cameron Grant, Nick Kosiba, John Lerette; freshman Jack Newman.
Season outlook: Huron has five returners who led the team to a successful season last year, but they are being pushed by some young talent.
Coach’s comments: "With a lot of returning players from last year, I like our chances to regain the Huron League championship and hopefully secure Regionals. The players' goal is to make it to the state championships this year and, I believe, this can be the team to get us there.”
SMCC
Coach: Jeff Kansier, first year.
Top players: Seniors Thomas Rivard, Josh Kansier; juniors Drew Vuich, Dom Marvaso, Gabe Chinavare, Daniel Poreda,
Season outlook: Kansier, who coached SMCC’s girls to the county championship in the fall, takes over the boys squad. He is encouraged by a large turnout.
Coach’s comments: “I like what I have seen so far from our team and feel our top one through eight are able to contribute this season. It’s going to be a fun season. I have a great group of kids.”
SUMMERFIELD
Coach: Dylan Szegedi, first year.
Top players: Junior Eli Van Huysen; freshman James Feudi.
Season outlook: Van Huysen is a returning regional Champion and a state qualifier. Szegedi says Feudi will contribute immediately.
Coach’s comments: “We have a lot of other guys who are very eager to learn and improve their game and I am very excited to see that process play out.”
WHITEFORD
Coach: Collin Welch.
Top players: Seniors Josh Hill, Hunter DeBarr; juniors Adam Linkey. Rylan Joerin; freshmen Jess Saylor, Cade Schober
Season outlook: Whiteford is excited to have a golf team for the first time since 2014.
Coach’s comments: “We will have a well-rounded team. We should be competitive from top to bottom. … I am excited for the opportunity to coach these athletes and teach them the game that is vastly growing.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Boys Golf Previews: Basketball, football coaches meet on golf course
