Cypress College golf season is coming to a close and the Chargers are competing for back to back California Community College Athletic Association State Championships. Placing first in the match at Irvine Valley, Riverside Invitational, and Eagle Classic, the team is showing its dominance in the Orange Empire Conference.
Dana Bedard, who is entering his 17th season as head coach for the Cypress golf program, has led the Chargers to three State Championships and one SoCal Regional Championship. His 2019 squad consist of 6 first year freshmen and 5 sophomores including returning team captain, David Marris.
Since April is the final month of the season, the Chargers are competing to repeat their CCCAA State Championship 2018 year. The Chargers have put themselves in a competitive position, but playoffs are yet to be played.
Dana Bedard, the head coach of men’s golf, believes the team has been strong this season. “The team started strong, they get along together well… We are winding the season down, it is a battle for these last two matches they are important for the championship,” states Bedard. “Chemistry of the team is important, small teams need to be family-like and a tight knit group to be successful.”
Last season, the Chargers claimed the CCCAA State Championship title but Bedard is not setting expectations or long term goals for the athletes. “We just want to play the best golf we can play… we set small goals, winning in conference, playing in regionals, getting in the tournament.” Bedard helps keeps the players confident with advice to “keep the ball in fairway, play smart golf and aim for a score of seventy five or better… They control their own destiny, they are capable of winning this again.”
Panagiotis Pantazopoulos is a freshman on the team who came to Cypress College from Greece to pursue his golf career. “I was lucky enough to have a resort open really close to where I live.” Pantazopoulos chose to attend Cypress College for the golf program and for the opportunity to play golf here all year round.” Pantazopoulos remembers back to when the team won five straight tournaments and the team gained a lot of confidence, one of his favorite accomplishments this season.
Team Captain, sophomore David Morris, played in the 2016 season and is now back playing golf at Cypress. Morris’s goals for the rest of the season are to “play good golf” and to take it one step at a time. As the number one golfer in the conference, Morris makes sure to “be prepared, stay organized and have a game plan” to be successful both on the course and in the classroom.
The Chargers will continue to compete in the Orange Empire Conference and hopefully compete at the State Championships for a second season in a row.