The Eastern men’s and women’s golf teams returned Monday, and both teams are predicted to finish near the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference standings. 

The men’s team is projected to finish tied for 10th out of 11 teams, and the women are projected to finish eighth out of nine teams, according to the OVC preseason poll. 

Craig Toler, who’s in his first season as head coach of both teams, said the low preseason projections for both teams will not define them. 

“You can’t just step up to the first tee and let the projections define you,” Toler said. “It’s not something they or I take personally.” 

Here’s a look at both teams as they begin the spring season: 

Women’s Golf  

Eastern will start its spring season off on March 3. at the Samford Huntsville.org Intercollegiate in Huntsville, Alabama. 

The Panthers are led by OVC women’s golfer to watch Meera Upadhyay, a sophomore from St. Louis. 

Upadhyay appeared in six of the eight tournaments last season where she would go on to set the program record for lowest round in the OVC Tournament when she shot a 1-over-par 73 during her second round. 

She also led the team in scoring in all five tournaments in the fall with her best weekend of golf coming at the Youngstown State University Roseann Schwartz Invitational, shooting 152, which is 8-over-par. 

The Panthers will also turn to senior Olivia Quigley, who is in her second year at Eastern after she transferred from Illinois College. Quigley, the only senior on the team, played in five of the eight tournaments in her first year as a Panther. 

Her best round last year came during The Julie tournament, which is hosted by Northern Kentucky University, where she shot a 170 across 36 holes. On the season, Quigley would go on to post an 88-stroke average. 

According to Toler, Eastern’s goal this spring is to keep improving and moving forward as a team. 

“We were supposed to have a winter training room completed in December, but it got pushed back and should be done within the next two weeks,” Toler said. “Our kids have done a really good job of finding places to hit like tarps in the field house or simulators back home, but they do an excellent job of adapting to help better improve their game.” 

Men’s Golf 

The men will start the campaign before the women as they traveled down to St. Augustine, Florida for the Eastern Kentucky University World Golf Village Collegiate on Monday. 

The team will be led by Cole Jaworski, a junior from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, who was named one of the OVC golfers to watch this season. 

Jaworski spent his first two years of college at Spokane Community College, where he was an all-conference selection both years. In the fall, Jaworski had a team high finish, placing 21st overall in the Arkansas State University Bubba Burnett Invitational in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Jaworski shot a 214 on 54 holes, putting him 2-under-par. 

Jaworski said that he is grateful for the honor as one of the golfers to watch but he tries to not let that bother him. 

“It’s an incredible honor, but at the end of the day you still have to go out and compete,” Jaworski said. “Just because you have that honor, you’re not automatically going to go and win the OVC. My goal is I’m just going out there to play regardless if people are going to say I’m going to be last or first. I’m just out there to prove them wrong and prove them right.” 

Helping Jaworski lead is Trey Oswald, a junior from Beloit, Wisconsin. Oswald comes back after being ranked second on the team last year, averaging 77 on 18 holes. Oswald had a season low 71, which was par, at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Derek Dolenc Invitational. 

Last season, Oswald had to withdraw from last season’s OVC tournament after his opening round. 

The Panthers are one of the youngest teams in the OVC as they are the only team without a senior on their roster. Toler’s men’s roster is made up of six underclassmen out of the eight he has on his team. 

Toler believes that he can use his team’s young roster to their advantage not just now but for years to come. 

“This is year one of us trying to move up in the conference, so being young allows us to set a base and a process,” Toler said. “If we want to be top four in the conference by next year, we have to take big strides, but I like the fact that we are young, and it gives us a two- or three-year building block.” 

Braden Boyer can be reached at 581-2812 or at bwboyer@eiu.edu.