By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - As a kid growing up in Central Minnesota, David Schneider recalls how cool it felt to see the Saint John's University golf team win national titles in 2007 and '08.

"I remember seeing the billboard they put up (just off the Collegeville exit) on I-94 after they won," said Schneider, who grew up just down the road in Albany.

"That was exciting. It meant the best team in the nation was a team from right in our backyard. It was fun to see what they had going on."

These days, Schneider has become a big part of the Johnnies' successful tradition himself.

The senior has twice earned All-MIAC honors, finishing 14th at the conference meet as a sophomore in 2017 and 10th as a junior last season. Last spring, he finished 21st overall to lead his team at the Division III national meet and was named GCAA All-America honorable mention.

He's picked up right where he left off this fall. Schneider shot a three-round total of 218 (+2) to place sixth out of 90 golfers at the prestigious NCAA Division III Preview, held Sept. 13-15 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Fifteen of the 18 teams competing at that event were ranked in the top 22 nationally, including 12 in the top 15.

Then, last weekend, he again led his team by tying for eighth place in a field of 120 golfers with a two-round total of 147 (+4) at the Saint John's Invitational.

"He's a guy who fell in love with the game of golf at an early age," Johnnies head coach Bob Alpers said of Schneider, a four-time qualifier for the Class 2A state tournament during his high school career.

"I can remember watching him play at sections when he was younger. He had a push-cart and a bag, and the bag was bigger than he was. But even then he stood out. He's just a hard-working young man."

Schneider did grow up playing golf, getting introduced to the game by his father Thomas, a former college basketball player, and his uncle Tim Thelen, who now plays on the Senior European Tour.

Thelen, also an Albany native, played in nine PGA Championships over the course of his professional career.

"I've played with him a few times over the years," Schneider said with a smile. "I haven't been able to beat him yet.

"I've been trying. But he's pretty competitive."

So is Schneider. Not just on the golf course, but in the classroom as well. The biology major boasts a 3.65 GPA and was named an Academic All-MIAC and All-America Scholar selection last season.

He's already done summer internships with the Nature Conservancy and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, helping analyze and count Blanding turtles (a state-listed threatened species) near Wabasha and learning how to inspect watercraft for invasive species near Alexandria.

I've always been drawn to the outdoors," he said. "I do a lot of hunting and fishing. I just appreciate being out in nature."

He likes being out on the golf course too. And he's hoping to make his final collegiate season as successful as possible.

The Johnnies play at the Twin Cities Classic this coming weekend in advance of the MIAC Championship Oct. 5-7 in Jordan. At stake there will be the conference's automatic bid to the Division III national tournament.

"I want to help us win an MIAC title, then get back to nationals and see what happens there," Schneider said. "It would be nice to go out on a high note."