Saint John's golf begins the 2023-24 season with a two-day dual meet against Gustavus Adolphus this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2-3. – Live Results 

THIS WEEKEND'S SCHEDULE
-Saturday, Sept. 2 at Rush Creek G.C. (par 72) in Maple Grove; 2 p.m.
-Sunday, Sept. 3 at Pioneer Creek G.C. (par 72) in Maple Plain; 2:40 p.m.

BACK IN FOUR WEEKS: The Johnnies return to Rush Creek G.C. in Maple Grove on Sept. 30-Oct. 2 for the 2023 MIAC Championships, where they will attempt to win a program-best, fourth-straight conference title.

FOUR OF THE FIVE RETURN: Aside from the NCAA Division III Championship, where Saint John's finished fifth out of 43 teams, the Johnnies won five tournaments and finished second in the other four competitions last season. SJU went 51-2 against MIAC schools (101-5 over the past two seasons) and recorded the program's best team scoring average – 293.1 over 24 rounds – which was 2.5 shots better than the previous mark recorded last season (295.6).

SJU returns four of its five starters from last season, all of whom earned All-MIAC honors: seniors Sam Berger (Waconia, Minn.), Nate Loxtercamp (Richmond, Minn./Melrose Area) and Blake Schuler (Waconia, Minn.), and junior Andrew Boemer (Eagan, Minn./St. Thomas Academy). Berger earned Division III PING All-America honorable mention and was joined on the Division III PING All-Region 6 team by Loxtercamp and Schuler. The Johnnies have now had 59 All-Region honorees in the last 24 seasons (since 2000).

A two-time GCAA All-Region 6 selection, Berger led the Johnnies with a four-round score of 286 (-2) to finish eighth out of 221 golfers at the NCAA Division III Championship. The -2 was the program's best individual performance at the national meet, topping Clinton Dammann's -1 that earned him medalist honors as SJU won the first of back-to-back NCAA championships in 2007. Berger led the tournament with a collective -11 on the event's 16 par-5 holes and tied for second with 18 birdies. His eighth-place finish marked the best by a Johnnie at nationals since Dennis Granath '13 tied for seventh in 2011.

Out of 24 rounds played last season, Berger led SJU with 10 at par or better performances and tied with Schuler for the team lead in scoring average (73.5) and top-10 finishes (6). A three-time All-MIAC honoree, Berger has finished fourth or better at all three MIAC Championship tournaments.

Loxtercamp was named the MIAC Co-Player of the Year and GCAA All-Region in 2022-23. He earned medalist honors at the 2022 MIAC Championship in October and ended the season with a 73.5 average in 24 rounds, including eight rounds at par or better and five top-10 finishes. Loxtercamp was the NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient in 2022 for having the highest GPA at the  NCAA Championship and is a 3-time All-MIAC honoree. He begins his senior season with a 74.7 average in 57.5 career rounds with 16 rounds at par or better and 14 top-top finishes in 26 events.

Schuler led SJU with a 73.5 scoring average (one shot better than Berger), two medalist performances and tied Berger with six top-10 finishes (in 10 events). He shot a career-low 66 (-6) Sept. 24 at the first round of the Twin Cities Classic and tied Loxtercamp for 28th (+5) at the NCAA Championship. Boemer, meanwhile, averaged a 74.9 in 24 rounds and tied for 44th (+9).

NEW COACH: Chris Howe '99 was named the Johnnies' new head golf coach Aug. 22, replacing athletic director Bob Alpers '82, who completed his 29th season in May. He was an assistant golf coach at Concordia-Moorhead for nine seasons (2011-20) and took over as head coach at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the Cobbers to a third-place finish at the 2021 (spring) MIAC Championships and a fourth-place finish that fall. Two Cobbers earned Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-Region distinction and 13 were All-MIAC during his tenure on staff.

Howe also served as the men's hockey coach at Concordia from 2008-21. He totaled a 132-148-38 record (83-81-28 in MIAC play) and the Cobbers reached the MIAC Playoffs eight-straight seasons, including a second-place finish in 2020. Howe was named the 2011 MIAC Coach of the Year and the program produced three All-Americans, three MIAC Player of the Year recipients and 34 All-MIAC honorees during the 13 seasons.

Since his time at Concordia, Howe has been a lead instructor at the Minnesota Advancement Program (MAP), which is the Elite division within FHIT Hockey, in the Twin Cities area. The MAP develops hockey players during the eight months of the off-season and mentors, scouts and recruits players during the four months of their season.

A native of nearby St. Cloud, Minn., Howe received his bachelor's degree in social studies and secondary education from SJU in 1999. He played hockey for the Johnnies from 1995-99, totaling eight points (4g/4a) in 39 career games as a defenseman, and was part of a group that went 73-38-7 overall (47-11-6 in MIAC play) and reached the NCAA Division III semifinals in 1997. Following his playing career, Howe returned to SJU and was the head junior varsity coach in 1999-00. He then served as an assistant boy's hockey coach at St. Cloud Apollo High School, his alma mater, from 2000-02 and a volunteer assistant coach at Division I St. Cloud State in 2002-03.

During his five seasons as an assistant hockey coach at Saint John's from 2003-08, the Johnnies won two MIAC regular-season championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2005. SJU compiled an 83-40-10 record during his tenure and reached the MIAC Playoffs four times.

STRONG IN THE CLASSROOM, TOO: SJU received Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-Academic team recognition for the 15th-consecutive season over the summer. To be eligible for All-Academic Team honors, a college or university must submit the grade points earned and hours attempted for each player on its official squad list for the academic year and carry a team GPA of 3.00 or higher. The 16 Johnnies combined for a 3.43 team GPA. SJU was one of 16 teams that earned GCAA All-Academic Team honors and participated at the NCAA Division III Championship in May.

Two Johnnies - Thomas Gutzmer '23 and Loxtercamp - earned GCAA All-America Scholar honors. The SJU golf program has now had an All-America Scholar each of the past 24 years, for a total of 46 during that span. The distinction was the third-consecutive for Gutzmer and the second for Loxtercamp.

THE REST OF THE SCHEDULE: Following a week without competition, the Johnnies return to the competitive course by hosting their annual Fall Invitational Sept. 16-17 at St. Cloud C.C. and Blackberry Ridge G.C. in Sartell, respectively. SJU competes at the three-day Twin Cities Classic, hosted by Gustavus Adolphus, Sept. 23-25 and aims for its fourth-straight conference title Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the MIAC Championship held at Rush Creek G.C. in Maple Grove. The Johnnies wrap up their fall schedule with a pair of elite tournaments in October: Oct. 15-17 at the Golfweek Fall Invitational in Destin, Fla. and Oct. 39-31 at the NCAA Division III Preview in Boulder City, Nev.

WHO'S PLAYING: Saint John's is scheduled to send the following 12 golfers to this weekend's dual meet:

SJU Red
1. Berger
2. Schuler
3. Boemer
4. Loxtercamp
5. Senior Mark Longhenry (Bloomington, Minn./Holy Angels)

SJU Blue
1. Junior Will Gruidl (Edina, Minn./Minnehaha Academy)
2. Freshman Nate Appelhof (Minneapolis, Minn./Totino-Grace)
3. Sophomore Ethan Kress (Woodbury, Minn.)
4. Junior Cole Proctor (Brainerd, Minn.)
5. Sophomore Gus Briguet (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge)

Individuals
1. Senior Thomas Ellis (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen)
2. Sophomore Tim Fultz (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area)

SJU'S COURSE RECORDS: The Johnnies' below-par rounds for this weekend's two courses are below.

Rush Creek G.C., Maple Grove (par 72)
-4 - Robert Cliff, Twin Cities Classic (Oct. 1, 2000)
-2 - Dennis Granath, Twin Cities Classic (Oct. 10, 2011)
-2 - Paul Ponath, Twin Cities Classic (Oct. 1, 2000)
-1 - Matt McGovern, Twin Cities Classic (Oct. 1, 2000)
-1 - Sammy Schmitz, Twin Cities Classic (Oct. 1, 2000)

Pioneer Creek G.C., Maple Plain, Minn. (par 72)
-5 - Thomas Gutzmer, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 12, 2021; round 2)
-4 - Blake Schuler, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 11, 2022; round 2)
-3 - Blake Schuler, Gustavus Dual (April 27, 2023)
-3 - Nate Loxtercamp, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 11, 2022; round 1)
-3 - Andrew Boemer, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 12, 2021; round 2)
-3 - Glavine Schugel, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 12, 2021; round 2)
-3 - Preston Kopel, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 7, 2019; round 1)
-3 - Charlie Stuck, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 7, 2019; round 1)
-2 - Nate Loxtercamp, Gustavus Dual (April 27, 2023)
-2 - Thomas Gutzmer, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 12, 2021; round 1)
-2 - Glavine Schugel, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 11, 2021)
-1 - Mark Longhenry, Gustavus Dual (April 27, 2023)
-1 - Charlie Stuck, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 8, 2019; round 2)
-1 - Esten Stensrud, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 9, 2018; round 2)
-1 - Jon Koenig, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 8, 2018)
-1 - David Schneider, Minnesota Individual (Sept. 10, 2017)