Senior Angie Petak, of the Kutztown University women’s golf team, leads a group of young and talented golfers into the 2007-08 season.

The Golden Bears finished the 2006-07 season with seven top-four finishes, including four tournament victories. KU finished seventh out of eight teams at the PSAC Championships in the fall, competing against five men’s and two women’s teams. For the seventh-consecutive season, every year since the program was launched in 2000, KU improved its season scoring average. Last year, Kutztown averaged 349.7, knocking off almost three strokes per round from the previous best of 352.6 the year before.

Gone, however, are two of KU’s best-ever golfers in Holly Shubilla and Tristin Suzenski. Lost to graduation, Shubilla (2nd) and Suzenski (4th) finished among KU’s all-time leaders in career scoring average.

The Golden Bears’ top returning golfers have averages in the 80s, and seventh-year head coach Robert Fisher is looking for at least one of his golfers to step up and become the team’s ace, posting scores in the 70s.

Along with Petak, the team’s captain who averaged an 89.4 in the spring last season, KU returns junior Lauren Foulke and sophomore Erin Arden.

Petak notched five top 10 finishes in tournaments last year, with a season best second place finish in the fall opener at Berkleigh Country Club.
Foulke, who Fisher describes as having great power, averaged 88.5, with low scores of 83 in the spring. She had four top 10 finishes a year ago, all in the spring.

Arden posted an average of 93.7. Her season best round came with an eighth place finish and a score of 92 at Ursinus.

Joining the veterans will be a talented group of newcomers. Expected to contribute right away are freshmen Eric Dechowitz (fr. Harrisburg/Central Dauphin), Kelli Pry (fr. Coatesville/Coatesville), Samantha Rumbley (fr. Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) and Krista Tressler (fr. Fayetteville/Heritage Academy).

Pry, who was an all-district and all-state golfer at Coatesville High School, and Rumbley, who was all-county at C. Milton Wright High School, should make their mark immediately. All of the newcomers, however, have the potential to shoot in the 80s for KU as freshmen, and Fisher expects their contributions to have a great impact for KU.

"I expect all four freshmen to compete for a starting spot," Fisher said. "And I expect a major contribution from them down the road. This is the most depth we’ve ever had."