With no rising seniors, Tigers look to youth

With no returning juniors on the roster for next season, the men's golf team will look to its seasoned underclassmen to lead the charge against a tough Ivy League.

Senior co-captain John Sawin, who is also a staff writer for the The Daily Princetonian, will graduate, along with fellow senior co-captain Brent Herlihy. Both players have left an indelible mark on the program, helping the team to three Ivy League titles in four years.

Sawin was also a first team all-Ivy selection three of his four years; the fourth year, he missed selection by one shot. Herlihy also caps off a distinguished career during which he had three top-3 finishes and was a four-year varsity starter. The loss of these seasoned veterans will be tough for the Tigers.

Since there are no rising seniors on the roster, the team will need its rising juniors, Max Schechter and Drew Maliniak, to guide the incoming freshmen through a tough fall schedule, class selection, workout routines and, most importantly, the Ivy League Championship tournament next spring.

They will be aided by the rising sophomores Juan Pablo Candela, Jake Skinner, and Greg Stamas all of whom gained valuable tournament experience this season. Candela is the highest-rated recruit to matriculate at Princeton in the history of its program. He suffered through a mediocre season, by his lofty standards, and he will look to regain his old form next season now that he has acclimated to the rigors of Princeton life.

Incoming freshmen Evan Harmeling and Eric Salazar will join the Tigers in their quest to regain the Ivy League title.

Harmeling refined his game at Phillips-Andover Academy, where he won the Massachusetts Junior Amateur in 2005. He has also been a steady performer on the Amateur Junior Golf Association tour, a tour of the top juniors in the country and worldwide, and he is a top-ranked junior player in Massachusetts.

Salazar is a two-sport athlete from the West Coast, having earned all-conference honors for his play in basketball and golf at Del Campo High School in Sacramento, Calif. The majority of his tournament experience comes from local and regional events at the junior and adult amateur level.

"[Salazar] may be a bit more raw than Harmeling, but another summer of tournament golf should put him in a position to help us right away," head coach Will Green said. "He is exceptionally long and possesses a solid touch around the greens."

Green added that even though there is a lack of senior leadership on his young team, the goal will be no different — an Ivy League championship.

"Our goal this year was to win the Ivy title," Green said, " [and] our goal next year will be the same. I am confident that we can be successful because every returning player competed in at least two events this year, so there isn't a void of experience."

When asked where the leadership might come from next year, Green replied, "While I'm certain there will be one or two players who rise above the rest and assume a leadership role, I think the team dynamic will be one of eight equal partners working toward our common goal."