MASON CITY – MASON CITY – NIACC golf coach Chris Frenz has signed seven players for his men’s team and five players for his women’s team for the 2015 season.
Signing letters of intent for the NIACC men were Sam Steinwand (Andover, Minn.), Brandon Nordman (Altoona), Zach Swink (Burlington), Chris Staudt (Clarion), Carter Niedermayer (Mason City), Victor Peterson (Blooming Prairie, Minn.) and Thomas O’Rourke (Forest City).
Signing letters of intent for the NIACC women were Savannah Lentz (Cresco), Carlie Eckenrod (Mason City), Bailey Walter (Atlantic), Madison Wood (Rudd) and Erin Gates (Clear Lake).
Steinwand guided his team to a sixth-place finish at the Class AAA state tournament in Minnesota. He placed ninth overall in the individual competition with a 74-75 – 149 after placing second at the sectional tournament.
“Steinwand is going to be a great asset to the NIACC program,” Frenz said. “His game is very steady and I’m really looking forward to watching him grow as a college player. The experience he’s gained from playing against some great competition in the Twin Cities area is going to be extremely valuable at this level.”
Nordman, who played at Southeast Polk, qualified for the Class 4A state tournament during his senior season.
“Brandon is a great kid,” Frenz said. “I really like his attitude and his mental outlook on the game. When I watched him against Mason City last fall, I was very impressed with his ability to manage the golf course.”
Swink also qualified for the Class 4A state tournament during his senior season.
“Zach is another player that really does a great job of managing the golf course according to his high school coach,” Frenz said. “His short game is very good and he’s a gritty competitor as he also wrestled in high school.”
Staudt, who attended Clarion-Goldfield, missed qualifying for the state meet last spring by one stroke.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how his game translates to the collegiate level,” Frenz said. “I believe he’ll be up to the task of competing for a top five spot on the team.”
Niedermayer prepped at Newman Catholic.
“Carter is a good local talent and I’m glad he chose NIACC first,” Frenz said, “because I believe his best golf is still ahead of him. He has definitely shown some good things throughout his high school career and now he needs to get that consistency of low scoring.”
Peterson, who prepped at Blooming Prairie High School, qualified for the Class A state tournament in the spring.
“Victor is passionate about the game,” the coach said, “and I know he’s going to fit in nicely to our program.”
O’Rourke, who prepped at Forest City, comes to NIACC after a year at Waldorf College.
“Having a year of college golf is really going to help Thomas assimilate into our program,” Frenz said. “I’m really excited to have him on the team and with one other returning sophomore, he will h elp with some leadership skills.”
The NIACC men return one sophomore (Hunter Miller) from last year’s team that placed fourth at the NJCAA Region XI tournament. The Trojans must replace seven sophomores, including Levi Fink, who claimed the NJCAA Division II national title.
“Hunter had a nice freshman year both on the golf course and academically,” Frenz said. “I think he will definitely be our leader next year and his game should improve over the summer if he puts in the time.”
The NIACC women return two players from last year’s team in national qualifier Kaitlin Koob and Britne Kingery.
Koob placed 86th at the NJCAA national meet.
“Last year was a bit of a struggle with numbers,” Frenz said, “but this year I’m really looking forward to how this team is going to compete.
“We’ll be a different team in the fall than we will be in the spring because of Bailey and Madison playing volleyball, but I think all of the women will be competing for one of the top five spots. It should be a lot of fun.”
Lentz, who attended Crestwood, will also play basketball for the Lady Trojans.
“Savannah is a tremendous athlete and has been to the girls state golf tournament the past two years finishing in the top 10 as a junior and wwas 13th overall this year in Class 3A,” Frenz said. “Savannah will definitely have success here at NIACC as she has a tremendous work ethic and she has a solid all-around game.”
Eckenrod attended Newman Catholic.
“Carlie will be a strong player for us,” Frenz said. “She will get the chance to focus on golf as she has been in many different sports in high school. Carlie has won numerous tournaments in her high school career and certainly has a good enough game to compete at this level. She comes from a very good golf family and is very competitive in nature.”
Walter was a two-time state qualifier for Atlantic.
“I love getting players from successful teams because they already have the built-in mentality of what it takes to win, not only as an individual but as a team,” Frenz said.
Wood attended Rockford High School.
“Madison was also a multi-sport athlete in high school and competed in both golf and track in the spring season,” Frenz said. “Madison is a player that I believe has all the tools to be successful at the collegiate level once she gets to focus on golf.”
Gates comes to NIACC after being a member of the tradition-rich Clear Lake program.
“Erin had a nice season for the Clear Lake girls team this year,” Frenz said. “Erin’s game improved this year as a senior and if she continues to put in the time and effort during the off-season, I can only see her game getting better. I think she’s just beginning to reach her potential.”
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