By Matt Youngfrau
JAMESTOWN — June 6, 2003 – Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) is well-known for its basketball program, which has produced many winning teams and helped some fine athletes refine their skills to play on bigger stages.
Over the last year, however, SCCC has developed a golf program that members of the athletic department hope will duplicate the basketball program’s success. The team is coached by Matt Turnbull, who is the first graduate of the college’s Golf Management Program.
Turnball recently led his team to a third place finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Region XV Golf Championships. Greg Semenetz Jr. of Jeffersonville finished that tournament in third place. His teammate, Tyler White of Monticello, finished fifth.
The good showings earned Semenetz and White a trip to the NJCAA Division III national golf tournament. The competition began Tuesday and concludes today at the Chautauqua Golf Club in Jamestown. Each day consists of 18 holes of golf.
For the first round, there were 177 golfers in the tournament. White shot a 78 to finish 14th overall. Semenetz shot an 80 and finished 20th.
In Wednesday’s second round, White carded an 83. He tied for 36th place with a two-day score of 161. Semenetz also shot an 83 on Wednesday. He was tied for 49th place with a two-day score of 163.
After the four rounds have been completed, the top 20 finishers will be named to the NJCAA Division III All-American team.
“I am extremely pleased with their performance,” said SCCC Athletic Director Chris DePew. “They are two great kids. They have represented us admirably. They are helping to make a name for the program. The golf program will become a signature program for the college with our basketball program. I am happy with the whole situation.”
Results for the third and final rounds were unavailable as of press time. Please see Tuesday’s Democrat for that information.