Nathan Proshek '04 can still recall the moment he first sensed the success the future held in store – both for himself and the Saint John's University golf program.
It was mid-October of 2000, and the then-Johnnie freshman and his teammates had just wrapped up competition at the prestigious Gordin Collegiate Classic played in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The tournament annually featured the top 12 teams in the nation at the NCAA Division III level, and first-time invitee SJU – which had made its debut appearance at the national meet the preceding spring – finished in second place overall, edging reigning Division III titan Methodist (N.C.) by one stroke.
Proshek, fresh out of New Prague High School, led the way – shooting a three-round score of 216 to place fourth individually.
"It was the first time we'd ever been there, and to finish second was a big deal," Proshek recalls. "That was also the first time we beat Methodist. I remember walking through the parking lot afterward so excited about what we had going. The way we played proved to me that we had a real chance to compete with the best teams at a national level.
"I think that was the catalyst that really sparked guys like myself and Sammy (Schmitz '03) to work even harder to get to where we needed to be."
Proshek was certainly one of the guys who helped the Johnnies get there. SJU has now qualified for the national meet in 21 of the past 24 seasons and has finished in the top 10 12 times – including back-to-back national titles in 2006 and '07.
Though Proshek was not yet on campus for the first appearance, he was there for the next four – including in the spring of 2003 when SJU finished third overall and Proshek shot a four-round score of 284 to place second on the leaderboard behind only Janne Mommo of Averett (Va.), who went on to play professionally.
"Janne Mommo, that's a name I'll never forget," Proshek said with a laugh. "But it was so fun to be in contention as a team and bring home a trophy from nationals for the first time. It's a bond I'll always share with the rest of the guys on that team."
That performance came just one month after Proshek had fired a two-round score of 148 to win the Fred B. Kravetz Invitational in Rochester, N.Y. – including a final round two-over-par score of 72 at the world-famous Oak Hill Country Club, the site of four PGA Championships, three U.S. Opens and a Ryder Cup.
"He's tough, he's stubborn and the higher the stakes, the better he played," said Bob Alpers '82, the current SJU athletic director and the school's golf coach from 1993 to 2021, and again during the 2022-23 season.
"He always elevated his game when we needed him to. He was an amazing athlete."
Proshek was an All-American honorable mention selection as a sophomore in 2002 and a first-team selection the following year. He also earned All-MIAC honors three times and was named conference freshman of the year in the spring of 2001.
He also excelled in the classroom, earning All-American Scholar honors in both 2003 and '04.
"He was truly a team leader," Alpers said. "He was always willing to be a good friend and mentor to our younger guys, and he helped set them up for their own success. He did everything we asked of him and he accomplished so much.
"Actually, he probably would have been a national champion multiple times over if he didn't have to rely on me for guidance on par-threes," Alpers added jokingly.
Proshek's family had deep ties to St. Thomas. His father Scott was a 1979 graduate of the school who played football for the Tommies and went on to coach the men's golf program there for 11 seasons.
But Proshek had gotten to know players like Schmitz (a Hall of Honor inductee in 2019) and Matt McGovern (an inductee in 2023) at the high school level. He said their presence in Collegeville helped convince him that the Johnnies were on track to build something special.
"I knew the caliber of players those guys were and having the chance to play with them all the time was exciting to me," he recalls. "I wanted to be part of building something special. Although I don't think any of us could have imagined it would get to the point it has. It's unbelievable how much has been accomplished here over the years.
"But success breeds success."
That's a pattern Proshek, as much as anyone, helped establish. And he looks back with pride on having been there at the start of the dynasty's construction.
"It was an amazing feeling knowing every time we stepped on a golf course, we had a chance to win," he said. "It didn't matter who else was there. We were that good. It was a really special time for me."
