April 25, 2008

"Balance Of Power"

Upon hearing his Charlotte golf team referred to as a "national power," head coach Jamie Green modestly laughs but responds in the same confident manner in which the 49ers have played all year.

"Having our program referenced in that regard comes from numbers, the numbers come from hard work and hard work comes from individuals," said Green, a two-time A-10 Coach of the Year. "To me, that's what it boils down to. It's exciting for our university to have our name out there, but it's really exciting for the players because they've earned it. Where the team is now is completely and solely a result of how these guys have played for the last four years."

Currently ranked fourth in the nation, the 49ers are in the midst of a record-setting season in which the team climbed to an unprecedented consensus number-one ranking in the country. It marked the first time in school history that a Charlotte sports program reached number one in the nation.

Charlotte's rise to the national spotlight began years ago but with a third place finish at the NCAA Championship last season, it cemented itself as a premier program deserving of the country's attention. After returning four of the five players from that NCAA lineup, the 49ers began the year ranked tenth and then went unbeaten in stroke play during the fall, winning all four of their events.

"Everyone was surprised last year when we were near the leader-board and close to first place," said sophomore Corey Nagy. "It seemed like we were the only ones who weren't surprised. We had five guys who could all take it low and we just played consistent. It was a great experience. This year, when we're playing our best, we've been pretty hard to beat."

Nagy, a lifelong Charlotte resident, joined what was an already established team last season. After playing his way into a lineup that prides itself on a tireless work ethic, Nagy finished in the top six of five spring events and earned 2007 A-10 Rookie of the Year honors. This season, he's posted nine top 15 finishes and currently carries a 72.1 stroke average, second only to senior teammate Jonas Endander Hedin.


As he has the previous two seasons, Hedin leads the 49ers in scoring average. A native of Taby, Sweden, he boasts a stroke average of 71.3 that not only leads the Conference, but ranks in the top 20 nationally. Hedin has been a model of consistency, with an ability to manage his game around any style of golf course.

"Jonas will find a way to be competitive every single week and he'll keep his emotions where they need to be," says Green. "He's not a cheerleader and won't get on people. He's steady and self-evaluating. He takes care of his own business on the course and to me, that's the best kind of leader you can have."

Providing the foundation for much of the program's achievements are seniors Trevor Murphy and Andrew DiBitetto. Hailing from St. Johnsbury, Vt., Murphy has supplied veteran leadership and led the team in scoring at four tournaments this season, including Charlotte's most recent event at Purdue's Boilermaker Invitational on Apr. 19-20. His 73.3 average has also registered five top-ten showings.

A senior from Rochester, N.Y., DiBitetto has anchored the 49ers as a part of all 16 of Charlotte's victories in the past four years. He is current the A-10 Player of the Week (Apr. 21) after leading the team in a pair of tournaments last week, including the Palisades Collegiate, an event Charlotte won for the fourth straight year. He carded his lowest 18-hole total (68) of the season as the team's top finisher.

A balanced squad which is continually improving due to a competitive spirit within the group, each student-athlete must earn a spot on the five-man lineup and maintain it with consistent play, which has already been reflected with several Conference accolades. A Charlotte golfer has been named A-10 Player of the Week in each week the team has competed. Not only have the 49ers swept the honor with every opportunity, but each of the players in their lineup has collected the award at least once.

Hedin, who leads the team with three A-10 honors this year, admits that from the first day he arrived on campus, the competition has been fierce.

"Even in practice, we always compete with each other and that really pushes us to get better," says Hedin. "We're all very competitive people to begin with. Everything we do, whether it's playing ping-pong or basketball, we get intensely involved in it. Once the game is over though, we're back to being friendly again."

Amidst their determination and pursuit of a national championship, which consists of up to seven hours on the course per day, each of the golfers remain grounded and credit their coach for their accomplishments. Green, in his fifth year as head coach at Charlotte, has placed a lot of emphasis on maintaining his players' mental conditioning.

"Jamie does an amazing job helping us out with our mental game," says Nagy. "He's able to keep us consistent at all times and I really don't think he gets enough recognition for the work he does. He'll keep our goals in check and always has a grasp on what we have ahead of us."

While quick to pass along praise to one another, each member of the team still carries an unshakable level of confidence which has yielded recognition at the highest level. Hedin was included on the recently announced Golf Coaches Association of America "Watch List" for the 2008 Jack Nicklaus Award, which is presented to the Player of the Year. Hedin also joins junior teammate Stefan Wiedergruen as one of the top 20 finalists on the "Watch List" for the Ben Hogan Award.

Wiedergruen, who is from Waiblingen, Germany, was honored as Golf World's Player of the Mid-Year after capturing two individual titles during the fall. His single round of 65 at the Scenic City Invitational in Ooltewah, Tenn. marks the best round of any Charlotte golfer this year and his -17, 199 at the Pacific Invitational broke the school record for a 54-hole tournament. He and Hedin were also one of the 12 members of the Golf World Midseason All-America Team.

"We are a team but it's an individual sport," says Green, who was honored as Golf World's Coach of the Mid-Year. "Any of our guys would be more than happy to finish fifth in a tournament as long as each of his teammates finished 1-4. That's the mentality they have. At the same time, they have a little ego which pushes them to perform at their best. I'm glad that they look high on the horizon and have confidence in their games."

Since joining the Atlantic 10 in 2005-06, the 49ers have won back-to-back Conference Championships and in the process, shattered the A-10's lowest four-round team total in 2006 (837) only to break it again the following year (824). The team's schedule has grown stronger each year and with the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championship in Winter Garden, Fla., on May 2-4, the 49ers seem to be the team to beat.

"We were very fortunate that when we joined the A-10, we really had some strong players both with young and experienced players," says Green. "There's a lot of talent in the Conference and thankfully now we're in a great position to see how far we can go."

With the NCAA Regional in Chattanooga, Tenn. on May 16-18, the 49ers will hope to go as far as the final day of the NCAA Championship in West Lafayette, Ind., on May 31. There, they would likely contend with several of the same teams they've already competed against this season.

As the trio of seniors look to end their collegiate careers on the highest of notes, they can be certain that the program they helped bring to national prominence will be left in good hands next year. With Nagy and Wiedergruen slated to return next year, the success at Charlotte is likely to continue and according to Nagy, hopefully grow.

"Right now, our team camaraderie is at its best," says Nagy. "Whether that's winning a tournament, being the best in the conference or being the best in the country, we all push each other to make everybody better players. Next year, I hope to pass along the same valuable advice that I got from these guys so that Stefan and I can take our team to the next level."