The Fordham Athletics community was saddened by the news of golf coach Paul Dillon’s passing over the summer. His mark on the program will certainly not be forgotten as his athletes turn to the 2021-22 season. Throughout the past two seasons of play, the Rams’ consistency has been an issue, something new interim head coach Dan O’Connor will look to correct with a veteran squad. 

The Rams return two of their top three scorers from 2020-21 in juniors Andreas Aivazoglou and John Kryscio. Tomas Nieves finished his graduate season with a scoring average of 71, which will be difficult to replace, but with many returning members to the squad, the Rams look to improve on their ninth place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship last spring. 

As for the new coach, O’Connor has been a part of the staff since the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach. He has served as Dillon’s lone assistant since the 2017-18 season and was part of developing the current crop of Fordham golfers throughout their time at Rose Hill. He will look to breed the consistency that Fordham has lacked in past years but finally started to show glimpses of during the spring season.

The Rams did not come in dead last in any event last year and outplayed their preseason ranking at the bottom of the A-10. They were quite a bit better than La Salle University last year, and have the likes of St. Bonaventure University and George Mason University in their sights for this season. 

There is no schedule currently available for the Fordham golf team but the Rams usually schedule tough regional matchups for their fall season. In the past, they have played against teams such as Harvard University, the University of Hartford, Seton Hall University, the University of Connecticut and others. Their fall track will be a great marker as to where they stand with other schools ahead of this spring’s A-10 championship. 

Last year, the Davidson Wildcats came away with the victory at the A-10s behind a fantastic second round. They won the automatic qualifier from the conference and went to the Tallahassee regional where they placed T-10 out of the 14 teams. They are not the only powerhouse in the conference, however. Virginia Commonwealth University has been fantastic in recent years with multiple conference championships, and the University of Dayton will be returning as the low scorer from the event. As a freshman, Henry May represented the Flyers as an individual at the NCAA championships. He posted his low round of the season at Reunion Golf Club, a five-under 67. The Minnesotan travelled to the Noblesville Regional and placed 67th with a score of 17-over. 

All of that said, it is unrealistic to think the Rams will be competing for an A-10 title but they will certainly be expected to improve given the experience on the roster. Playing with heavy hearts and under coach O’Connor, expect some positive strides from Fordham Golf this season.