The Cabrini men’s golf team had a successful fall season under the leadership of new head coach Adam Pifer. The team placed in the top five in four of the events it entered. It was a transitional fall season for the new coach and the three players new to the team.
Freshmen Pat Rooney and Rob Bass, as well as sophomore Max Matejik, joined veterans junior Chris Sarvadi and senior Mike Ryan to compose the 2010 fall team. The team came together under Pifer, who took the place of former coach Tony “Doc” Verde.
For Pifer, the transition was a relatively smooth one because of his good relationship with Verde. The relationship was formed during Cabrini vs. Temple golf matches when Pifer played for Temple. Pifer said that Verde has been a great help with his transition to Division III golf.
“I told the guys that whenever there’s change, there is going to be a period of transition,” Pifer said. “It involves getting to know the new players, understanding expectations and getting a feel for the new program.”
The golf season runs both in the fall and spring, and this year the fall season served as a learning experience and a time of adjustment.
Many of the team members believe that Pifer played a crucial role in bringing the team together.
“From day one, Pifer was already trying to improve our game,” Sarvadi said. “We really came together around him and are now a new solid team and that can only mean great things for the golf program at Cabrini.”
Pifer played a large role in teaching the players new lessons about golf that will hopefully make the spring a great season for Cabrini.
“I learned this fall that there is more to golf than just hitting a ball,” Rooney said. “The fall taught me that golf is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. I hope that with the help of Pifer I can step up my game and really help the team in the spring.”
The fall season does not count toward the playoffs so the Cavs will really be looking to have a solid performance in the spring. However, both seasons are important for establishing a solid record and building skill. The spring could potentially hold conferences and nationals for the Cavs, so the team will be working very hard in the off-season to improve.
“The off season is work time,” Sarvadi said. “We are going to be doing more things as a team such as more workouts and yoga. We are going to go the range even in the coldest of weather so we can keep the rust off.”
The winter practice sessions are something that the team did not have access to before Pifer. His golf academy will provide the space and hopefully an extra competitive edge.
The winter practice space isn’t the only new thing to the Cavs’ winning plan. Ryan and Sarvadi also decided to really step up the leadership by adding more team bonding. Not only are they leaders on the course, but also they take the team out to dinner and really try to get to know the players.
“The leadership of Mike and Chris has helped me a lot,” Rooney said. “They helped me keep my cool when I wasn’t playing well. We did a lot of team bonding whether it was going out to dinner or on the long bus rides home from tournaments. It really helped me out a lot as a freshmen who didn’t know people coming into Cabrini.”
The team is in agreement that the favorite moment of the fall season was the time spent getting to know the other players.
“My favorite memory was playing golf with the guys for the first time and seeing the potential in them,” Sarvadi said. “I thought to myself once we can all get scores in our potential we can be a great golf team.”
Some of the players were disappointed with their individual performances but overall Pifer was pleased considering the season was very transitional. All players have their eyes on the spring season for success.
“The fall season wasn’t as good as I would have hoped but it’s more or less a learning experience for the team,” Ryan said. “I think everyone on the team, myself included, can play much better than how we played in the fall. Overall I think we have a strong young team that hopefuly by the spring will be shooting better scores. I really think we can win of conference and go to nationals.”
Each player is looking to have a strong performance in the spring in order to help the team reach the goal of a CSAC title. Ryan believes that team truly has the potential to win the conference.
“I really look forward to making memories in the spring and hopefully capturing the CSAC title that Keystone took away from us last year,” Sarvadi said.
