Golf Mocs look to improve in '12

The season ended Saturday afternoon.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's golf coach Mark Guhne said he scheduled a team meeting for Saturday night.

"We're going to sit down as a team, talk about this year and our goals for next year while it's fresh in our minds," Guhne said Saturday evening after the Mocs finished ninth in the NCAA South Central Regional from which the top five teams advanced to the NCAA championship.

"Our guys know that they can play with anybody and that we have to keep building," Guhne said. "We know what we want to do next year and we'll work toward those goals."

The 2010-11 Mocs golf team met outside expectations set by followers of the program and folks from GolfWeek - they played in an NCAA regional tournament.

But they didn't meet their own expectations of advancing to the championship tournament which will be held at Karsten Creek Golf Course in Oklahoma City.

"A lot of people thought we'd be good enough to get to regionals," Guhne said. "At times this year, I feel like we exceeded expectations. And other times, I feel like we didn't quite get there.

"We had every expectation of getting through [to the championship]."

A golf team with zero seniors, one junior, one sophomore and three freshmen is rarely expected to make noise on a national level.

But next year's team could do just that.

With all five starters back, UTC could be pegged as a team to contend. At least, that's what they'd like to think.

"Every time you get a little setback, it makes you want it more the next year," said junior captain Stephan Jaeger, before the meeting. "We'll probably change a few things about how we prepare for tournaments and to be better prepared for all the different emotions you go through in a tournament."

The season, this past season, is forever in the past. It's history.

"Everybody is looking forward to next year," said freshman Chris Robb, who will play in the British Amateur with Jaeger. "We gained a lot of experience and us three freshmen grew mentally and we're looking forward to next year.

"We know we can qualify [for the championship], but we didn't quite do it this year."

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