BEREA, OHIO - Senior Matt Weiss, a resident of Concord Township and graduate of Mentor High School, recently ended a fine golfing career at Baldwin Wallace University. He will receive his diploma in December.
When the Yellow Jackets placed 10th of 16 teams last weekend at the Wittenberg University Tournament in Springfield, Weiss ended a playing career than began 14 years ago.
"My grandpa taught me how to play," said Weiss, who averaged 80.67 strokes per round this fall in five tournaments and nine total rounds of 18 holes. "He would take us [Weiss and his two brothers] out to golf, it was great. My mom also comes to all of my golf tournaments. She is my number one fan."
While at Mentor High School, Weiss played golf for four years and earned four letters. He was a four-time All-Lake Erie League selection and LEL Player of the Year twice. He also earned All-District and All-Ohio honors while being his team's number one player.
His decision on which college to attend did not exclude golf as a consideration. After contacting former Head Golf Coach Chris Kibler and taking a campus tour, Weiss chose BW for the golf program and its proximity to his hometown.
"BW is about 40 minutes from Mentor on a bad day, so it was close for me and my family," said Weiss, who is one of two seniors on this year's team. "It was a good decision."
Weiss is juggling being a marketing and business major with a minor in Spanish and his golf career. He is doing a fine job at it, despite the difficulty.
"It's tough. You've got to be diligent in the classroom and manage your time well," said Weiss, who helped to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 25-24 record this fall and a winning record in each of his four years on the varsity and in the starting lineup. "That's [the balance between academics and athletics] definitely been an added challenge. If i'm not sleeping, I'm either in class, at work or playing golf or at a golf tournament."
His academic success does not go unnoticed. Along with balancing athletics and a double-major, Weiss is also a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society.
"I am extremely proud of his accomplishments on the golf course, and I am even more proud of the growth he has shown off the golf course," boasted second-year Head Coach Tom Heil. "Matt is a great student who puts his academics first, and that both important and the way it should be at the Division III level.
"In the classroom, Matt has a strong grade point average and is a leader," continued Heil. "On the golf course, Matt's already proven the past three seasons that he's one of the best players in the Ohio Athletic Conference. We have been pleased with Matt's work ethic and plays, and most importantly the leadership he has given our younger players. He is a strong representative of what we hope a student-athlete to be at Baldwin Wallace University."
Proclaiming that his golf game this season has taken the brunt of his attention due to balancing being a college senior, Weiss was determined to end on a high note.
"It's all confidence," said Weiss, who twice carded a 77 for his low round of the fall season. "To play good golf, its 99 percent mental and 1 percent physical. If you don't have the confidence to go out and play well, you won't."
"Matt showed great confidence in his abilities and that was one of the reasons why he was so successful for four years," said Heil. "He had the confidence and consistency you need to be good at the game. We certainly will miss his leadership and ability."
Weiss is no stranger to excelling on the golf course, either. He was named Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Golfer of the Week three times during his career, including a year ago when he carded a career-low and school-record 68 at The College of Wooster Nye Intercollegiate Tournament. That effort marked the second straight year that Weiss earned OAC Player of the Week accolades for his efforts at Wooster. A year earlier, as a sophomore, he carded rounds of 76 and 76 for a 152 stroke total to earn the Nye Intercollegiate medalist honor and the OAC honor.
"Matt is one of the longest hitters in the OAC and when his short game is on he is hard to beat." said Heil.
Being the number two golfer on the team comes with an expectation of leadership.
"I think there's a natural leadership role you take as you progress," said Weiss. "That role involves helping the younger guys out scheduling class, making sure they prepare for their academics first and the golf and all other activities after they get their schoolwork done. They look up to us [Weiss and fellow senior Brian Routhieaux (Gibsonia, Pa./Mars Area)] and we need to be there for them if they have questions.
"The role of being a team leader is enjoyable," continued Weiss. "During my four years here, we had some very good leaders and Brian and I both learned a great deal from them and utilize what they taught me to help the younger players. I just hope I did a good job."
The seniors on the golf team have a big hand in recruiting as they help to build the program largely with being key people when recruits come to campus for over night visits.
"When recruits come to campus, we want to expose them to all types of college activity; whether it is in the classroom, in the dorms or apartments, with other students who may not be involved in athletics and with the golf team."
"All of the guys on the team get along great," continued Weiss. "That team chemistry is contagious, and the recruits see that fact. That's one reason why we've had such a good team for such a long period of time. That and having good people like Coach Kibler and now Coach Heil leading the program."
Weiss' accomplishments on the golf course are direct results from his mental game and off-season practice. He had always worked on a golf course, so was able to keep his game in-check during the summers.
"In high school and now in college, it's much more rewarding for me to see the team do well than if I won a tournament by myself and the team didn't excel," Weiss says of the recognition for holding a College record. "It's nice knowing the months and years leading in to it showed. It's hard to perform well when the bright lights are on."
For his career, Weiss participated in 39 tournaments and 75 rounds of 18 holes. He fashioned a 78.08 career stroke average with his school-record as the lowest round. As a fresman, he played in 11 tournaments and had a best-round of 74 at both the Transylvania (Ky.) College and Mount Union College tournaments. As a sophomore, Weiss played in 13 events and had a low-round of 71 on the first day of the Muskingum University Tournament at the Rivergreens Golf Club in West Zanesville. Then came the career-low round at Wooster a year ago.
After graduation, Weiss would like to live in Spain and pursue an aspect of business combined with his knowledge of Spanish. In the golfing realm, he would like to continue to play competitively, but with the experience of competitive play soon to be in the past and holding high expectations for himself, he wants to continue to be his own best competitor.
"This has been a great run and experience," said Weiss. "I have enjoyed my experience at Baldwin Wallace and am ready to take that next step in life. I will miss being a member of the golf team, the interaction with the other players, and even some of the trips. I wish the team well this spring and I'll certainly be following their progress on the web."
