October 13, 2009
Two qualify for nationals in season finale

In rain, snow and cold temperatures, the Cyclones ended a stellar golf season at the Region IV Tournament at PrairieView Golf Club in Byron, Illinois Oct. 8-10, finishing fourth out of 10 teams with two players qualifying for the NJCAA championships.

“They did very well considering the conditions. It was dark, dreary and cold and by the third day it was 37 degrees with snow flurries. We got the most out of our team and qualified two for nationals. Our top two guys did their thing,” said coach Bob Freudenthal.

Kevin Daly (Oak Forest) shot a 79, 78 and 76 to earn a third place individual finish while teammate Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) swung a 77, 79 and 80 to place seventh. Both scores earned them a trip to the NJCAA Division II Golf Championship in Phoenix, AZ in May. Other Cyclone golfers who competed include Stagg grad Tim Komenda (78, 80, 86), Logan Pietsch (Sandburg) (83, 84, 92) and Lockport product John Beissman (91, 83, 86).

The Cyclones played well this season, clinching their second consecutive Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship on Sept. 30 in their final conference match.

“It was a very successful season, and I’m very pleased with how we played. We took conference again and two guys are going to nationals,” Freudenthal said. “I’m looking forward to the national tournament in May. Kevin and Matt are two excellent players, and I know they’ll do well. They’re both very mature and could play at the next level. They’ll work over the winter then we’ll get together in May before heading to Phoenix. Then hopefully we’ll have another great year and conference win in 2010.”

The national competition is scheduled to be held May 18-21.

October 5, 2009
A good match before regions

In preparation for the Region IV Tournament Oct. 8-10, the Cyclones competed Oct. 2 in the Prairie View Classic, where they placed eighth out of 17 strong teams.

Moraine Valley was led by sophomore Jeff Staley (Andrew) who swung an 80 followed by Tim Komenda (Stagg) with an 81, Kevin Daly (Oak Forest) hitting an 81, Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) firing 82, and John Beissman (Lockport) shooting an 82. The scores seem a bit higher, but were good considering weather conditions were rainy with 20 mph winds and 50 degree temperatures.

October 1, 2009
Golf team repeats as conference champs

Call them the champs because for the second consecutive year the men’s golf team has aced their conference. Moraine Valley clinched the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship Sept. 30 by placing first in the final conference match of the season at Mission Hills Country Club in Northbrook.

“It was a good day and I think the guys were pretty happy about the win,” said head coach Bob Freudenthal. “Overall it was a successful season. They’ve played well at the right times. We played well and now we’re looking forward to the region tournament next week. There are good teams there, but we’ll be very competitive.”

Scoring a team average of 318 at the tournament, the top player of all eight colleges competing was Kevin Daly (Oak Forest) who shot a 75 followed by Stagg alum Tim Komenda with 79, Logan Pietsch (Sandburg) hitting 79, Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) with 80, and Lockport product John Beissman firing an 81. Ten conference golfers earned All-Conference honors, four of whom were from Moraine Valley. Daly was number two with a 75-shot average, only half a shot behind first. Lovelace came in at number three with a 78 average, Komenda also had a 78 average and finished fifth, and Beissman rounded out the bunch in 10th with an 81-shot average. Freudenthal also was named 2009 Conference Coach of the Year.

“Daly got off to a slow start this season, but worked hard, became more comfortable and found his game. These are a great bunch of guys and I’m lucky to have a good group two years in a row,” Freudenthal said. “This is the oldest team I’ve had. Tim Komenda came back here after playing for me three years ago, Kevin Daly is a transfer student and Matt Lovelace is 27. I think the maturity level helps.”

The Cyclones compete Friday, Oct. 2 to prepare for the Region IV Tournament Oct. 8-10. The top two teams from that competition advance to the national championship, which the Cyclones achieved last year.

September 25, 2009
Golfers stay on top of conference

The Cyclones maintained their top status in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference by placing second in their latest outing at College of Lake County’s home course on Sept. 23. The team was a mere eight points from first, but is still in good position to take their second consecutive conference championship when they finish their final conference match Sept. 30. Tim Komenda (Stagg) shot his best round of the season with a 76. Kevin Daly (Oak Forest) and Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) shot a 78 and 79, respectively while Jeff Staley (Andrew) rounded out the scoring with an 85.

September 22, 2009
Cyclones remain atop conference thanks to tiebreaker

In another close match up the Cyclones finished first at Elgin Community College's home course Sept. 21. Moraine Valley tied with Elgin, but won based on the tiebreaker being the best score of the fifth golfer on each team. Tim Komenda (Stagg) shot an 81 to seal the win. The other Cyclones contributing to the victory were Kevin Daly (Oak Forest) leading with a 75, Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) shooting 76, Jeff Staley (Andrew) with 78, and John Beissman (Lockport) with a 79.

"It was a pretty exciting match, but we won our third conference match out of four so far this season. We're holding our own in first place overall in the conference," said coach Bob Freudenthal.

September 17, 2009
Windy conditions yield third place finish

In their third conference match up, the Cyclones couldn’t pull off another first place finish, instead taking third place Sept. 16 in Aurora. Scoring was made more difficult by 30 mph winds, but Kevin Daly (Oak Forest) shot 83 and led the way with one of his best tournaments this season. Other key golfers were Jeff Staley (Andrew) with 86, Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) shooting an 86 and John Beissman (Lockport) firing an 88.

September 16, 2009
Hard fought battle for swinging Cyclones

Moraine Valley faced a strong field at the University of St. Francis Invitational on Sept. 15 where 17 of the 20 teams hailed from four-year colleges. The Cyclones finished a respectable 15th with Ryan Collins (Oak Forest) and Randy Wrobel (Oak Lawn) leading the team with 80 each. Logan Pietsch (Sandburg) finished with 81 and Jason Fonte (Stagg) shot an 82. "I gave our second string players a chance to compete because they don't always get enough time on the course. They played well, especially against these top opponents from the NAIA conference," said coach Bob Freudenthal.

September 15, 2009
Another top finish for Cyclones

The Cyclones held on to a first place finish for a second time this season in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference match on Sept. 14 in Park Forest. Moraine Valley’s top scorers were Andrew product Jeff Staley (78) and John Beissman (Lockport) (78), followed by Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) (79), Tim Komenda (Stagg) (80) and Kevin Daly (Oak Forest) (81).

September 14, 2009
Cyclones finish in the middle

Moraine Valley men’s golf team continued swinging solidly against some tough competition on Sept. 11 where the team finished 11th in a field of 22 at the Duane Chanay Invitational. This tournament had one of the strongest fields that the Cyclones will face this season with many teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Jeff Staley (Andrew) shot a 73, going four under on the front nine holes and placing seventh of all individual golfers. John Beissman (Lockport) came out of a slump by shooting 77, and with his first start of the season Bob Isacson (Andrew) fired an 80. Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) rounded out the group with an 81.

September 8, 2009
Letdown at Sauk Valley Invitational

A little momentum was lost at the Sauk Valley Skyhawk Invitational Sept. 4 where the Cyclones finished 14^th in a field of 18.

“A few guys just lost focus. They didn’t putt well, which was a big factor. One of our veteran players, Logan Pietsch (Sandburg), was out with a back injury,” said coach Bob Freudenthal. “The course was good and it was theirs for the taking. I’d rather have a letdown at an invitational like this than at a conference match. This was a big letdown, and we’re a much better team than we showed. We’ll shape up, and I know we’ll bounce back with our hectic schedule coming up.”

Tim Komenda (Stagg) led the team with a 78, Jeff Staley (Andrew) shot an 80, Kevin Daly (Oak Forest) finished with 82, and Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) shot 87.

September 1, 2009
Killer opening for Cyclones

The Cyclones did not fail to impress in their first two matches of the year.

The team finished fifth in a field of 20 on Aug. 28 at the Highland Tournament. The top two golfers, Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township) and Jeff Staley (Andrew), led the team through a wet 36 holes of golf. Lovelace finished with 83 and 76 while Staley shot a 79 and 84. “It was a real team effort with everyone pitching in for a respectable showing. Thirty-six holes is always a long day, but we played well,” said head coach Bob Freudenthal.

The Cyclones home opener on Aug. 31 proved even more successful by finishing first in the field. Tim Komenda (Stagg) shot 80, followed by Lovelace with 81, John Beissman (Lockport) had an 82, and Staley shot 86. “This was a great team effort on a windy and tough course. The next closest team was 12 shots behind us,” Freudenthal said. “We got off to a good start this year and I’m feeling pretty good. We have eager players who want to contribute. Hopefully we’ll continue our winning ways.”

August 27, 2009
Golf team expecting repeat championship in 2009

It’s been a few months since the 2008 Cyclones golf team played in the national tournament for the first time in the college’s history. Now two golfers from that Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship team will lead a new group of talented prospects to an anticipated repeat of last season.

“Going to the nationals was a great experience. It was a hard match up at that level. We have two guys returning to the team with that national experience plus a good group of golfers. We’ll be competitive this year, and I’m looking forward to the season,” said head coach Bob Freudenthal.

Veterans Jeff Staley (Andrew) and Logan Pietsch (Sandburg) will be the top dogs this season along with former Cyclone Tim Komenda (Stagg) who played for Freudenthal three years ago. The freshmen continue to impress in practice, particularly John Beissman (Lockport) and Kevin Daly (Oak Forest) who has a solid swing. Matt Lovelace (Lyons Township), the oldest player on the team at 27, is a good player who has golfed competitively for years, but never through any school. Talented freshmen Ryan Collins (Oak Forest), Jason Fonte (Stagg), Bobby Isacson (Andrew), and Randy Wrobel (Oak Lawn) are expected to contribute this season. Freshmen alternates Dan Kubil (Reavis) and Jeff Siefert (Marist) also will develop into quality golfers.

“With the two veterans, some more mature players and these freshmen we have a great opportunity to repeat as conference champs and go to nationals,” Freudenthal said. “This is another great group of guys.”

The Cyclones open their season Friday, August 28, at Highland Community College. Their home opener, at the Water’s Edge Golf Club in Worth, is Monday, August 31, at 12:30 p.m.