October 2018 KNICKERSThe Official Newsletter of the Bucknell Men’s Golf Program NOTES www.BucknellBison.com Notes from Coach Mike Binney Spring Season senior Jubal Early and freshman time, and 4th all-time in relation Results To Date Jason Lohwater tied for 4th to par (+1). Bradbeer had a lot of at 297 and sophomore Chris support from his teammates as Tanabe, rounding out the travel JP Raftery finished (+3), Chris squad at 299 for 6th place. Tanabe (+5), Jubal Early (+8) and The team departed Lewisburg Jason Lohwater (+14) over the for Hamilton, NY just four days 54-hole event. after wrapping up qualifying to With even less time, the team play in our first tournament of the departed campus the following season; the Alex Lagowitz Me- Thursday afternoon for 7+ hour morial Invite, hosted by Colgate drive to Quechee, VT to compete his past weekend the Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge, Quechee, Vt. Bison Men’s Golf team University. The tournament is in the Quechee Collegiate wrapped up the first half of dedicated to the memory of Alex Challenge, hosted by Dartmouth T Lagowitz, a Colgate golf alumnus College. After a disappointing the 2018 fall season with a huge September 8 tournament victory at the Quec- who tragically lost his life just 302 in the first round, the Bison Alex Lagowitz Memorial hee Collegiate Challenge, hosted one year after graduating from found themselves in solo 6th Colgate Invitational by Dartmouth College. It was Colgate in the spring of 2016. place, squarely in the middle Hamilton, N.Y. (Seven Oaks CC) the first victory for the squad this Over the course of the 2-day, of the pack. The Bison turned 11th of 17 season and has the team motivat- 54-hole event, the team finished up the heat and posted a school ed to notch a few more before the 11th of 17 teams, posting 309, record 281 in the second round September 9 291, 302 during the tournament. to pass all teams and post its first snows of winter close out the fall Alex Lagowitz Memorial freshman Jason Lohwater and victory of the 2018-2019 season. campaign. Colgate Invitational sophomore Chris Tanabe led the The team’s 281 (-7) is the best Prior to the start of the season, Hamilton, N.Y. (Seven Oaks CC) Bison with 219 (+3) during the performance in relation to par the team wrapped up 72-holes T-11th of 17 of qualifying for our first tilt of tournament, both tying for 14th in school history and was co-led place in the 90 player field. by Connor O’Brien and Tanabe, the season at Colgate’s famed September 15 Seven Oaks Golf Course. The With only four days be- who both posted identical scores tween tournaments, the Bison of 71 & 69 (-4) to tie for Medalist Cornell Invitational men battled over two weekends, Ithaca, N.Y. (RTJ GC) dealing with some soggy weather, ventured north again to Ithaca, honors. O’Brien and Tanabe’s 4th of 15 hot temps, bugs and some up and NY to compete in Cornell’s Fall performances were bolstered down golf to post some of the Invitational at the RTJ Course. by Raftery who posted a tour- September 16 best qualifying scores in recent Competing against 15 teams, nament-best 68 in the second years. the Bison finished a strong 4th round. Cook and Early shot 75 Cornell Invitational Freshman standout, Carter place, posting scores off 292, and 79 respectively to round out Ithaca, N.Y. (RTJ GC) Cook, posted a 4-under, 276, 285 and 292. Peter Bradbeer led the Bison scorers, resulting in 4th of 15 with rounds of 69, 68, 73 and 66 all Bison scorers with a 215 (+2) the Bison beating the field by five over the four rounds of qualify- performance that included a 66 strokes to take home 1st place in September 22 ing. senior captain, JP Raftery, second round performance that the 12-team field. Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge who was tied with Cook at the just missed the school’s all-time The Bison golfers have 3 Quechee, Vt. (Quechee Club) end of three rounds, posted scoring mark of 65, set by Ben outstanding freshmen joining the 6th of 12 rounds of 72, 71, 67 and 73 to Pellicani in 2005. Bradbeer’s squad this fall. Mentioned, Carter finish at +3 and in solo 2nd place. (-5) is tied for 2nd all-time with Cook hails from Cornelius, NC, September 23 The next four qualifying spots three other Bison golfers, includ- just outside of Charlotte, NC and Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge were bunched up tight between ing Peter Scialabba (2014), Ben has been ready to join this team Quechee, Vt. (Quechee Club) Pellicani (2005), and Alex Dolle since 8th grade! I first met Carter 294 and 299 with junior Peter 1st of 12 Bradbeer posting rounds of 70, (2004). The team score of 285 in and his father at the 2014 Donald 76, 79 and 69 to place 3rd. the 2nd round is tied for 7th all- Ross Junior Championship in continued on page 2 1 Notes from Coach continued from page 1 Pinehurst, NC, and have been fol- Western Pennsylvania Golf Asso- Each one of these freshmen are year; it’s just what coaches do! lowing his junior career ever since. ciation. The Williamson Cup is an exceptional student-athletes and I look forward to keeping all Joining Carter this year is Jason annual event hosted by the WPGA will do well in Bucknell’s rigorous of you up to date on our progress Lohwater and Dylan Ford. Jason that pits the best junior teams from academic setting. As a coach, I fully this fall and if you have time to comes to the Bison program via Canada to Washington, DC. expect each one of them to be an write back, please do; I enjoy the Rochester, NY and Dylan from Dylan played his junior golf impact player this season. feedback! Homewood, Alabama, just outside in the Southeast Junior Golf Tour This year marks the first time of Birmingham. (SJGT) where many SEC and ACC in my coaching tenure here that I Jason played his junior golf in players got their start. I was able will have 4 years of recruits under upstate New York but ventured to catch Dylan’s play at the famed my wing. It only happens once in a Coach Binney down to Pittsburgh last summer Bubba Conlee Junior Golf champi- coach’s career at an institution and to capture top 10 honors in the onship last summer and am excited I am very excited about the team Williamson Cup, hosted by the to have him join the team this fall. this year. Of course I say that every The Tradition of the Fallen Hero Tribute Continues in 2018 Learning Leadership Lessons from Fallen Soldiers s I have done over the previous four seasons, I have asked each of my incoming first- year players to take on the solemn task of researching a fallen hero from our Armed AForces. I do this to give them perspective in regard to attending Bucknell, playing golf in a great program, and benefiting from the sacrifices of others. This year was no exception and I asked my three freshmen, Carter Cook, Dylan Ford and Jason Lohwater, to take on this challenge. The three warriors they researched were Naval Special Warfare SEALs, and broth- ers-in-arms. They were all killed in action on the same day, fighting a determined enemy, and in some of the toughest terrain on earth in the Hindu Kush Mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Their actions on 28 June, 2005 are credited with saving the life of their teammate, Marcus Luttrell. As Veteran’s Day approaches, it is a fitting reminder to us all of the sacrifices made daily by the men and women in uniform in this country. God bless and Semper Fidelis, Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn, United States Coach Binney (Photo by Justin Casey on Unsplash) Jason Lohwater on Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy was born May 7, 1976 in Smithtown, N.Y. He grew up in Patchogue, New York, (on Long Island) and graduated from Medford High School in 1994. Murphy attended Penn State, played hockey, and graduated with honors in 1998 with a double major in political science and psychology. In 2000, he went to Navy OCS, and then graduated SEAL training in November 2001. After serving tours in Jordan and Qatar, he was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and more specifically Operation Red Wings. While there, he was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 as assistant officer in charge of ALFA Platoon. On June 28, 2005, Lt. Murphy was leading a four-man team tasked with finding anti-coalition militia commanders. The group encountered three goat herders which they detained and then released. Shortly after, a large Taliban force met the four SEALs on the side of a steep mountain, and a fight ensued. After taking multiple gunshot wounds, Lt. Murphy know- ingly risked his life by getting into the open in order to get radio communications for backup. He was shot in the back, which caused him to drop the transmitter, but he picked it back up and calmly completed the call. Support came in the form of 16 men (8 SEALs, 8 Army Night Stalkers) in a helicopter. Tragically, the helicopter was brought down with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing all 16 men aboard. The original four SEALs continued to fight admirably, but after two hours, three of the four men had fallen.