Freshmen look to contribute this season

Freshman Scott Seibert, Brad Marek and Joe Miller have it much easier than the freshman from last year men's golf team. They have time to adapt to the transition from high school golf to college golf because all of last year's starters returned to the team.\n"In college golf all the players are good. There isn't much of a difference between the first place player and the last place player, where in high school there was a huge difference," Seibert said. \nSince coach Mike Mayer has the good fortune of having a surplus of players, he is not forced into throwing freshmen into competition immediately. \n"There is a lot of adjusting to be made," Mayer said. "A lot of organizing and a lot of difference. But I have been pleased with (the freshmen)."\nSeibert seems to have found the key to balancing his golf and his school, having classes in the morning so he can be on the golf course all afternoon. \n"I don't mind getting up early because I know I will be practicing for most of the day," Seibert said.\nEven though Seibert has not played in a tournament yet, he and Mayer said he will be in the lineup in the near future. \n"I'm ready to go whenever they want to put me in," Seibert said. "I'm feeling and playing good." \nComing off of four letter winning seasons at Lafayette H.S. in Chesterfield, Miss., where he won the Missouri Class 4A State High School Championship. He also won the Missouri State Junior Match Play Championship. This summer Seibert qualified and played in a Buy.Com tournament event. \n"Seibert is the most credentialed to play for us right away," Mayer said, "He has been playing good, and shooting low, and working hard. He gets to the course early, and stays late."\nThe second freshman on the team's depth chart, Marek has had a little more trouble adjusting to college life, both golf and academically, he said. \nAfter being named the 2002 Illinois Junior Golf Association's Player of the Year, and winning the Illinois State Junior Championship, Marek said he is looking to bring his past success to IU, but has to first learn how to deal with college life. \n"I haven't adapted the best I can. I need to manage my time between golf, school and my social life," Marek said. "But I have been learning more every day, and I am definitely getting better at it."\nComing into this season, Marek said he has worked hard to break some bad habits he developed over the summer. \n"(He) has a hard work ethic and a strong desire," Mayer said. "He wants to play; he wants to compete."\nThe third freshman, Miller, is a homegrown product. Graduating from Bloomington South High School in 2002, Miller was named All-Conference Indiana two years in a row (2001 and 20020). \n"Throughout this season so far, he has showed signs of talent," Mayer said. "But he just doesn't have the experience."\nMiller comes from a family rich with golf tradition. His father John "Spider" Miller won the 1996 and 1998 U.S. Mid-Amateur and competed in the 1997 and 1999 Masters. \nMayer said Miller has unlimited potential as a golfer and will help IU's golf program in the long run. \nEven though none of this year's freshman have competed in a tournament, they will soon have the opportunity to make their own name in IU golf and leave the shadows of last year's freshmen.