Joined by Head Coach Michael Erickson in his third season, along with juniors Flo Schimek and Braden Shea as well as freshmen Luis Reina and Gavin Giroux, Post University Men’s Golf discusses the upcoming 2025-26 season.
We’re here with our 202526 men’s golf media day joined by Lewis Raina and Gavin JRo. Lewis, overseas in Germany. Your club team won a pair of state championships. Talk about how you hope to translate your overseas success to the states. Uh well, first of all, I’m just trying to enjoy my time here. Uh this our freshman year. I’m very stoked and excited for for the stuff that’s coming up. And um yeah, in Germany I was a hardworking um dude uh trying to have success off the course, on the course um and yeah, I’m just trying to focus on what’s important, not stress so much, and then enjoy the rest of the ride. And then Gavin, for you, you’ve been active on the local circuit as part of the PGA Junior Golf Association. You’ve earned numerous accolades. What do you feel you bring to the table with the program? Yeah. So, this year I think I just I’m going to bring a positive mindset and hopefully just um a consistent golfer to the team. And then for both of you, what made you want to come to Post 10 school and play for head coach uh Michael Ericson? Yeah, so when I came on my visit um I just loved the the team culture and coach Ericson is just a great guy and it just stood out from any of the other schools I was look looked at. So that made me pick it. Um for me especially uh having a good relationship with your coach not like depending even on golf like in general in every sport is important. I had some issues back back at home and um after having two or three calls with him I was like okay sounds good. We we connect our relationship or kind of the the calls were good and that’s where that was the point where I was like okay I’m going to commit to this and uh then see where this takes me. And then finally for both of you, what do you hope to learn in your first year here? Uh well, first of all, um I’m trying to succeed academically. So I’m trying to maybe learn new ways how to study. Um of course meet new friends. Um but as well also like developing my golf game. Don’t know what that’s going to bring me, but um I’m looking forward to it. Um yeah. Yeah. I’m just hoping to balance my uh school work and my golf my golf career this year and just find ways to be successful on the golf course um with how much we play. So yeah, joined by junior Braden Shay. Braden, what has been the most valuable thing you have learned over your first two seasons with the program? Uh you know, for me, chasing perfection, probably one of the things that I uh I felt victim to my first two years, you know, when my swing wasn’t there, I didn’t really know how to manage. And uh that’s something that this year I may not be as capable of making the perfect swing, but hopefully uh when it’s not perfect, I can still go out there, manage, put up a decent score for my team. And then talk about what goes into preparing for your season since it lasts basically all year long. Yeah, it never ends. Um definitely the offseason in the winter when it’s cold up here. That’s that’s super important, keeping a club in your hands. Uh Coach Mikey does a good job getting us out two three times a week, making sure we’re swinging still. Uh and then in the summer for me, it’s pretty easy. I work at a golf course pretty much Monday to Sunday, so I can’t get away from it. Every day I’m out there, I’m swinging and I’m learning. So, it’s awesome. And then going off the last question, with that season being year round, how do you balance athletics and academics seeing you landed on the CACCC all academic team last year? That’s a great question, Mike. Uh, I’m not too sure myself how I really managed to pull that one off. Um, I guess it’s just cramming it in on those Sundays. You know, we’re we’re practicing every day, so I don’t have much time to do it, but I buckle down on those Sundays. I get those DBs in. I get those submissions in, and that’s uh that’s all you got to do. It’s pretty. And lastly, what is your personal goal on the Lynch this year? I need a gosh darn win, Mike. I’ve been playing this game too long to not have a trophy with my name on it. So, uh, whether it’s at the Watertown Post Invitational, wherever it may be, I’m I’m going to get that done this year. All right, we’re here with junior Flo Shimik Flo. Talk about what brought you to Post a year ago and what your first year was like with the team. Yeah, so what got me to post was actually to talk to coach Mikey. Uh, he was giving me a pretty good feeling. Um, and it makes my decision way easier to come over here. Um, and yeah, I had a really good first year. I met a lot of great people here, made a lot of good friends. Uh, I really like it here and yeah, really happy about that. And then you started to pick things up as year went on. You registered four consecutive top 20 finishes. What went into the progress you made last season? So, yeah, first semester was a little bit tough. Uh, but then in the spring I was doing a little bit better. Uh, I think I figured out a little bit how to play up here because it was a huge difference to the south and up here. So, uh, yeah, I need to learn how to play here a little bit more and I think I figured some things out, got a little bit mentally better and, uh, yeah, I think I’m on a good way right now. And what was it like for you to experience regionals for the first time? And did the veterans on the team who had been there before give you an advice heading into it? Yeah, so regionals was a nice experience. Uh, it was a great time there. Uh was the first time for me being there. It was really competitive. Really a lot of good teams there. So yeah, it was a great experience. Uh course was pretty cool. Uh nice area was really cool. And finally, how do you think you improved from last year to this year? So I think I worked a little bit on my putting. My padding got a lot of better. Um I made now a lot of more putts this semester already. And uh I think I got mentally a few more things in my head which I can improve on the golf course and uh yeah so I’m really looking forward for the semester and yeah joined by thirdyear head coach Michael Ericson of the men’s golf program. Michael heading into your second full season as the head coach. What would you say is the most important thing you’ve learned leading the ship in your first full season? Uh patience. Um it was all about patience. We didn’t have the best year last year. Uh I think expectations were probably a little high after the success in my first half year, I guess. Um so just patience and then looking forward to this year. You know, those kids put in a lot of work to get better. Uh so we could be extra competitive this year and yeah, pretty excited for it. And then talk about went into recruiting this talented class of athletes for the upcoming year. A lot of time in the email. Uh I got five of them. very happy to have all five of them. It brought our team number up to 11 and that kind of competition is really important to push each other, push themselves without the numbers last year, obviously we had a couple kids get a little too comfortable in their spot and this year everyone’s working. Uh, and we’re hoping to have a great result. And how have you been able to see this team grow and improve during your time as a head coach to achieve the success you had, even if it wasn’t down your last year, to go to the NCA regionals last two years? Uh mentally the improvements they make are great. So sometimes they’re not physical improvements or at least a numerical improvement, but just the way they carry themselves, not getting so frustrated, being a little bit more positive. Golf’s just such a game where you can just beat yourself up so bad. Uh and they’re doing a really good job at trying to stay positive and they recover nicely now. Uh and it’s just great to see. And finally, what’s the team goal that you have for them as well as a personal goal you have for yourself this year as the head coach? Uh, our team goal is to win conferences. Uh, and then obviously my personal goal would kind of go with that. But really, it’s just about making sure they’re okay mentally. Uh, and just kind of getting them through the year. It’s just so much, especially with the numbers that we have, just to stay patient and keep them going on the right path and keep everyone happy. Head coach Michael Ericson in his third year with the team. Men’s golf has already competed twice this fall and will have we’ll head on over to the AIC Yellow Jacket Invitational this week.
