Oberlin, Ohio – On day like today with one of the worst winter storms of the season it is hard to think golf, but that is exactly what we are doing as we take an in-depth view at the new-look Yeomen golf team.

The Yeomen enter a new era in 2011 behind the leadership and energy of first-year Head coach Brett Nichols. The Yeomen will return just two players from the 2009-10 season and will take a young and talented team into a full tournament schedule this spring.

Leading the Yeomen will be freshman standout Will Gautier. The Norwich, Vermont, native is coming off a senior year in which he finished tied for 11th at the New Hampshire State Championships, where he garnered All-State Honorable-Mention honors. Gautier will immediately step in and play near the top of the lineup for the revamped Yeomen.

A pair of football players also return to the links this spring for the Yeomen. Senior Ron Rupard and junior Jake Panka, who often played one and two for Oberlin last year, had very impressive fall workouts and will be looking to improve upon their finishes a year ago. They are the only players who competed every round for the Yeomen last year and Coach Nichols expects even more out of the pair this season adding, “Both guys have worked really hard on their game and are poised to shave multiple strokes off of their scores from last year.”

Rookie Chris Pickens will look to translate his success from the swimming pool on to the links this spring. He possesses a smooth swing and has good experience playing challenging courses across the state of California. With the potential to compete for a top three spot in the line-up, his play will go a long way in determining the success of the Yeomen.

Sophomore newcomer Sean Dowgray is a lanky player with a big swing. As the team's longest hitter, he is consistently pushing 300 yards off of the tee. While he continues to improve in all aspects of his game, his efforts should make an immediate impact on the Oberlin scorecard.

Fellow classmate Zachary Mathes had a strong fall by dropping 10 strokes off his normal total and is becoming more consistent with each practice.

The Yeomen are scheduled to play in six events this spring with the first coming at the Aston Oaks Golf Course just outside of Cincinnati where the College of Mount St. Joseph will host a 36-hole event on March19 and 20. It will be the first time the Yeomen have ever played the event and it will give them an early test to see where they stand.

After a successful run during the fall, the spring edition of the Prof-AM is set for April 16 and 17 at the Oberlin Golf Club. The event matches up select professors from the college against the current team and will involve foursome match play and individual match play rounds.

The five-round two-event NCAC Championship Series will get underway the weekend of April 23 at the Wooster Invitational and conclude the following weekend at the Hiram Invite. With its much-improved roster the Yeomen are ready to move up the conference rankings.