Waukon 2016 boys golf team fields five letterwinners

2016 Waukon boys golf returning letterwinners ...
Left to right: Gus Pladsen, Logan Sullivan, Mason McMillan, Luke Zezulka, Connor Hanson.

The Waukon boys golf team will return a number of familiar varsity faces in five returning letterwinners this season, but will have a new face manning the helm of the program this spring. First-year head coach Tharin Benson has taken the reins from long-time program leader Todd Neal with the start of the 2016 campaign.
“I am from Postville, and currently live with my wife and daughter in Waukon,” Coach Benson explained. “I am currently a special education teacher at Waukon Middle School and coach seventh grade boys basketball, and I am also an assistant varsity baseball coach. I started learning how to golf when I met my wife (the former Bailey Meyer) in high school. She went to high school in Waukon, and was part of the 2003 and 2004 State golf teams. I basically taught myself how to golf through watching videos and copying what I saw. In all, I have golfed for the last 13 years.”
Coach Benson has the benefit of veteran returnees that include the senior foursome of Connor Hanson, Mason McMillan, Gus Pladsen and Luke Zezulka, along with junior Logan Sullivan this season. “I look to my returning players to help lead and support  the younger golfers and to push each other to get better,” the coach noted.
The first-year coach lists that large group of veteran upperclassmen as one of this season’s greatest strengths. “Senior leadership,” he mentioned, while also describing his squad as “hardworking; they will put in the practice time.”
Coach Benson sees the fact that a majority of the remainder of this season’s squad is still quite young as one of the challenges to overcome this season. “Our young players are raw, but definitely have the abilities to become good golfers,” he said. “I am almost positive on my first five golfers, but still searching for someone in that remaining group to fill that sixth spot.”
The first-year coach will be looking to find that right mix to meet this season’s overall goal “to be competitive every time we have a meet,” the first-year coach said. “We’ll have to take the big numbers out of play and get better at our short game - chipping and putting.”
Coach Benson sees the top-end of this season’s Northeast Iowa Conference as another great challenge to his team’s potential success. “Waverly and Decorah are usually pretty tough, but then after that, it’s a close race,” he speculated.
The Indians are scheduled to get their 2016 campaign underway with back-to-back meets each of their first two weeks of competition, including at Calmar and at Charles City this Monday and Tuesday, April 4 and 5. The 2016 schedule can be found below.