March 7 , 2006
SPORTS’05 star to lead men’s golf; small roster limits women
The 2006 Thunderbirds men’s and women’s golf teams are ready to kick off another season.
With 12 players, the men’s team has great depth and features several stand out players, including sophomore T.J. Rickerd.
Rickerd is coming off a 2005 season in which he was First Team All-Conference and is joined by several of his high school teammates from Dobson High School on the MCC team.
One of them is Brent Hook, who transferred to MCC after spending time at the University of New Mexico and is still considered a freshman, eligibility-wise. Another former Mustang is sophomore Ryan Caughlan, who was also First Team All-Conference in 2005.
Rickert, Hook, and Caughlan were all members of the Dobson High School team that won the 2004 State Championship. Head coach John Guerrero loves the fact that the three were high school teammates, commenting, “I’m the beneficiary of them being on this team.”
Guerrero is beginning his second season has head coach of the men’s team while is has been six seasons for him as the women’s coach.
The men should be very strong in conference this season, although it will be tough to compete with Scottsdale Community College, who has dominated the conference as of late. Yet, Guerrero feels his team has just as good a chance as any to win the conference title.
Their season began with the Pima Community College Invitational, a tournament the Thunderbirds placed sixth in 2005.
The Lady Thunderbirds are facing a great challenge for the 2006 season as they lack the great depth the men’s squad has.
The women’s golf team has only the minimum four players needed to compete, but according to Guerrero, “we’re not using this as an excuse.”
One of the top players on the 2006 team is Christina Schams. She is joining MCC as a sophomore after transfering from the University of Nevada.
The team is also returning First Team All-Conference golfer Jamie Burk and Meghan Steffey, who was Second Team All-Conference in 2005.
The final member of the women’s team is Kendra Gregory, who hopes to make major contribution despite being a freshman.
MCC has had success in their conference in the past, but has never had such a lack of depth. They lost three recruits for this season because of reasons ranging from grades and injury, to opportunities at other schools.
With only four players, competing this season could be the toughest test yet for the women’s team. Guerrero was indifferent, saying, “If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.”
Overall, Guerrero feels that competing for region titles is very much in the range of both the men’s and women’s golf teams despite their challenges.