Terps Tops in Turf War
The 2013 Collegiate Turf Bowl team and coaches pictured with their checks. Left to Right: Justin Patenaude, Scott Hosier, Brent Waite, Brian Hogan, Dr. Kevin Mathias (coach), Trey Profili, Josh Malnik, Steve Brew, Bryan Shepherd, Brian Dearstine, R.J. Crow, Ryan Higgins, Matt Park, and Alex Steinman (coach).
When the turf gets tough, Terps get tougher as the turf wars continue. It was only a matter of time until perennial power Iowa State toppled in the Annual Turf Bowl competition. And that time came this year in San Diego, CA on February 7. Encouraged by IAA Alumnus Scott Furlong’s pep talk the Maryland team set out to win. Furlong, superintendent of Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, didn’t mince words as he good naturedly egged the team to put an end to Iowa’s bragging.
The team didn’t disappoint. Students from the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) and the Plant Science and Landscape Architecture Department (PSLA) set a school record by placing three teams in top spots (3rd, 4th, and 11th ) at the 19th Annual Colegiate Turf Bowl. Iowa State placed 5th. Two-hundred forty-seven students divided into 68 teams took part in the competition.
The 3rd place team consisted of veterans Bryan Shepherd (IAA), Josh Malnik (IAA), R.J. Crow (IAA) and first year student Ryan Higgins (PSLA). The 4th place team had two new members, Brian Hogan (IAA) and Brent Waite (IAA), and was anchored by veterans Justin Patenaude (IAA) and Scot Hosier (IAA). The 11th place team--just shy of 10th by 2 points--was led by Brian Dearstine (IAA) and Matt Park (IAA) working with first year competitors Steve Brew (IAA) and Trey Profili (PSLA). The Maryland Teams, coached by IAA Advisor Kevin Mathias and UMD Sports Technician Alex Steinman, earned $1,800 in prize money.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst took first, followed by University of Arkansas. The official blog of GCSAA's Golf Course Management magazine noted, “The outright joy of the UMass students and faculty was matched by the two University of Maryland teams who placed third and fourth. The initial announcement of the fourth-place winners was greeted with whoops of joy, but when it was announced that Maryland had also taken third place, the students almost seemed too stunned to respond.”
The Collegiate Turf Bowl covers an array of different subject areas and a case study. Students identify turfgrasses, insects, diseases, weeds and different types of soil. Students are also tested on personnel and business management related topics, IPM programs relating to pest control strategies, basic concepts of turfgrass growth, and cultural practices related to golf turf management.
The Turf Bowl competition comes just one month after the Terps took first place in the Sports Turf Managers Competition in Daytona Beach, FL. Despite the winter weather, the turf has been thriving at Maryland.
