This season marked a milestone for Cayuga Community College athletics, as the college was able to put together a golf team for the first time in recent history.

Cayuga athletic director Pete Liddell also served as the golf team coach. Liddell said the idea for a team came straight from the student body.

“The students expressed an interest,” Liddell said. “We looked into it and this was something that we were able to do within our budget and we thought it would be a good opportunity to put something together to add to our athletic programs.”

At first Liddell wasn't sure what to expect, but with a team of 10, he was more than pleased with the response the program received.

“For our first season out, that is a great number,” Liddell said. “We had 10 on the team and six that qualified to compete in matches. I think we had a really good start for our first year.”

Competing against 13 other area schools, such as Monroe, Tompkins-Cortland and Jefferson , all of which have had established golf programs, Liddell was pleased with his team's performances.

“Some of the schools we were playing against have been in the top five for a while,” Liddell said. “They are well-established and I think we still did pretty well because we have some really dedicated players that really wanted to make this program work.”

The team was led by Luke Patterson, who averaged an 85 and was supported by other strong players like Caleb Gordon (87), Brian Crowley (88), Aaron Wisniewski (89), Ryan Dailey (89) and Bill Moore (91).

With the help of Highland Golf Club offering the team a place to practice, Liddell said the CCC team was able to build a strong foundation.

“We worked at Tony Biata's indoor facility hitting balls,” Liddell said. “Then Highland was good enough to offer us the use of their course.”

With such strong support and strong players, Liddell took a fairly relaxed approach to coaching the team.

“We had some really top-quality players,” Liddell said. “Really strong players that played in high school and knew the game well. Golf isn't like other sports. I tried to follow the guys and encourage them where I could and help them out, but really I could let them find their way on the course because they were all really talented players.”

This talent earned the team a seventh-place finish at regionals, which were held at Webster Golf Club in Rochester.

“I think we made a good showing,” Liddell said. “We were in the middle of the pack. I don't think we played as well as we could have, but it was a really good showing and I thought everyone played well.”

With a fairly successful inaugural season under their belt, Liddell hopes to keep the program growing in the coming years.

“We've got three or four players that will be returning,” Liddell said. “And this will be our first chance to recruit. I think it will be good and a good opportunity for golfers that want to keep playing and get a good education. Here you can play golf and go to school - a perfect combination.”