Spring is finally here again, meaning the Iona College golf team is ready to start their season.

During their fall schedule, the Gaels’ most impressive outing was a sixth place finish out of 16 schools in the Connecticut Cup at the Ellington Ridge Country Club in Ellington, CT.

Head Coach Matt Glovaski believes that there is one main key that his players need to work on in order to have more play like this as his team prepares for the spring.

“The most important thing will be consistency,” Glovaski said. “We have to follow our good rounds with better rounds. Good teams get better as the tournament goes on and we’ll need to continue working on playing our best golf in the final rounds.”

The team is led by former MAAC Rookie of the year and member of the Northeast Division I PING All-Region team junior Dylan Newman, as well as junior Doug Hoppe. Hoppe has been consistent in the MAAC Championships for the past two seasons, with a first place finish his freshman year and a fourth place finish a year ago.

Even with the great play from Newman and Hoppe, Glovaski believes that two more members of his team are ready to have breakout seasons.

“Scott Gallo and Jordan Kral have been working really hard and hitting the ball well early this spring,” Glovaski said. “I think they could both have a big impact for us.”

The Gaels have also introduced a new face this year in freshman Thomas McHugh. McHugh tied for 34th with a two day score of 166 in his lone tournament appearance at the Knights Golf Invitational in the fall, but Glovaski believes that he will be a strong player as he moves forward.

“Tommy has been a valuable addition to our team,” Glovaski said. “I’m really pleased with the ability he has shown early on. He’ll be a big part of our team’s future.”

Iona is preparing for the Penn Quaker Invitational on April 2 at the Trump National Golf Club in Philadelphia, PA.

According to Glovaski, the team is more than ready to hit the links.

“Overall, the guys have been working really hard leading up to this season,” Glovaski said. “With improved weather conditions this year, we’ve had the luxury of getting outside for practice with greater frequency than in years past. I believe the hard work will pay off as we’ve organized a strong tournament schedule leading up to the MAAC Championships.”