MVNU, which is coming off a 70-35 campaign a year ago that saw the team finish fourth at the American Mideast Conference/NAIA Region IX Tournament, posted a 17-28-1 record during the fall portion of the team’s schedule this year. The Cougars will use their week in Brooksville, Florida, at the World Woods Golf Center to fine-tune their game and determine who the top five will be entering the first spring tournament.

"When we completed the fall season, there were some personal goals achieved and we celebrate those,” said MVNU coach Mark Stiverson, who is in his fourth season at his alma mater. "However, the No. 1 reason we did not have a much better fall as a team was due to not having a decent fourth score to count. This was a new team (in the fall), well at least three-fifths of it. So going into the fall, we really did not know what the outcome was going to be for a variety of reasons. We had some very good days. Unfortunately, they were not in the same tournament. However, we did achieve a major goal by qualifying for the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament.”

"The spring season should be different,” Stiverson continued. "The experience gained in the fall should add more confidence to the less-seasoned players and should emphasize the roles of the seasoned players. We are in a very strong conference and there is little room if any to count a fourth score in the 80s and have a shot at sniffing the leaderboard.”

The Cougars will have three seniors with lots of playing experience to lead the way. Tyler Tinch returns after averaging 78.1 strokes last year and 77.6 strokes in four tournaments this fall. Jared Schlabach, who played in just one tournament this fall after recovering from an injury, posted a 79.2 stroke average last year and earned a spot on the AMC Team with a three-round score of 227 in the AMC/NAIA Region IX Tournament. Matt Kerns also returns after not playing in the fall, but after compiling an 80.1 strokes average as a junior.

Sophomores Jay Ruffner, Alex Carroll, and Cory Palmer return with a year of collegiate golf under their respective belts. Ruffner averaged an 82.1 in four tournaments as a freshman and then lowered that to a 78.9 strokes average this fall. Carroll averaged an 80.1 in three tournament as a freshman and averaged 79.8 strokes this fall. Palmer also averaged an 82.3 in two tournaments last year.

Freshmen Mitch Justice, Pat Freeh, and Adam Nichols have also joined the team this year. Justice played in all four fall tournaments and averaged 81.1 strokes, while Freeh and Nichols both played in two tournaments and averaged identical 87.3 strokes.

"I am excited for this team,” said Stiverson. "They have some of the best camaraderie of any team that I have been around. They are serious, but yet they have fun. While they have experienced disappointments, the attitudes have been very good. I am looking forward to seeing how they respond in the winner’s circle.”

Following the team’s trip to Florida for the week of practice rounds, the Cougars will get the season under way on March 30-31 at the Southeastern Kentucky Intercollegiate Invitational hosted by the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.). "The winter has been brutal this year with very little playing time,” said Stiverson. "To help counter that, we have been hitting the range and will be heading to Florida for our spring trip. Our season opener will be on the way back from Florida. The Southeastern Kentucky Intercollegiate Invitational is a great tournament and will show us where we are quickly. The field is tremendous with several of our conference teams there as well as other skilled teams.”

From there, the team will play in the Capital University Invitational on April 3-4, their own MVNU Invitational at Chapel Hill Golf Course on April 6-7, the Malone University Invitational on April 17-18, and the Cedarville University Invitational on April 20-21.

Then, MVNU will turn its focus on the postseason with the AMC Tournament on April 30-May 1 at Apple Valley Golf Course. The winner of that tournament receives an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament on May 19-22 in Silvis, Illinois.