July 29, 2003

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Coach Dennis Troy's Lewis University men's golf team returns three of the top four golfers from last year's Flyer squad that captured the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and earned the program's first team berth in NCAA Division II postseason competition.

That's comforting news to Troy, especially since one of the returning trio is GLVC Championship runner-up and team scoring leader Jason Buffone. However, the 11th-year head coach concedes that his veterans will be challenged to fill a leadership void created by the graduation of All-GLVC (third place) performer Chris Beyer and No. 5 golfer Jay Hoots.

"We had such good team chemistry last year, which I believe was a major factor in our success," Troy said. "Chris was our captain and leader, and Jay was a fifth-year senior who contributed a lot.

"Our top three returning players - Jason Buffone, Curt Trizzino and Tres Steffey - will have to step into leadership roles. I think the biggest question for us this season is, when our lineup is set, will we have the same kind of team chemistry that was so important for us last year?"

The Flyers have a very strong No. 1 player in Buffone, who has shown remarkable consistency his first two seasons by shooting in the 60s or 70s in 53 of 59 collegiate rounds. The junior led last year's team in scoring average (74.38), rounds in the 70s (26) and rounds in the 60s (three), and he followed his GLVC runner-up showing by tying for sixth at the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Championship, where Lewis finished fifth.

"Jason is a true horse," Troy said of the two-time All-GLVC performer. "He gives you what you want in a No. 1 player, and that is the ability to shoot low scores consistently."

Seniors Trizzino and Steffey finished third and fourth, respectively, on last season's Flyer scoring chart. Trizzino averaged 77.88 and finished 13th in the GLVC, while Steffey checked in with a 78.15 average and just missed All-GLVC honors by tying for sixth at the conference tournament.

"Curt played well at times last year, and Tres played a lot during the summer and looked good," Troy said.

The remaining two spots in the lineup are wide open. Senior Dean Katsaros and junior Ryan Hewson saw limited tournament action last year but, according to Troy, played well during the summer. Also returning are sophomore Kevin Lind and redshirt freshman Dennis McLain, a former high school regional champion in Wisconsin.

Troy welcomes talented freshmen Rob Peters and Lloyd Roth to the Flyer program. Peters was runner-up at the tough New Trier sectional last season, and Roth also was a state qualifier.

"We have some established collegiate golfers and some unknown factors," Troy said. "Successfully defending our GLVC title and earning another NCAA bid will depend on how much our less-experienced returning players have improved and how quickly our freshmen adjust to the college game."