The 2004 golf team is recognized for their outstanding play during the 2003-2004 season, a year that culminated with the team winning the first national title in any sport at Keystone.
The team roster for the 2004 USCAA National Champions was comprised of Larry Abrams ’07, Joe Hardy ’04, Ryan Knolles ’07, Tom Coleman ’07 and Tim Zearfoss ’05. The squad was one of the many successful teams under head coach Don Cole.
Three Keystone players earned USCAA All-American honors following that season, as Abrams was selected as a first team honoree and Hardy and Knolles each picked up second team laurels. In addition, head coach Don Cole was named as the USCAA National Coach of the Year.
Abrams was the top Keystone finisher at the national tournament, taking second place individual medalist honors. He went on to have an impressive career for the Giants, as he was a member of the 2004 and 2005 ECAC South Region championships teams and the 2005 and 2006 NEAC title teams.
Hardy finished sixth overall at the USCAA Championships, playing a key role as part of a program that began to stand out at the beginning of the decade. A national qualifier to the NJCAA Tournament, he was also a member of the 2001 PCAA Championship team.
Knolles was Coach Cole’s number one recruit for the 2003-2004 season, as the newcomer led the squad with a 77.0 stroke average. A seventh place finisher at the National Championships, he continued his golf career by obtaining his PGA credentials and is currently the head PGA Professional at the Towanda Country Club.
Coleman was a key figure in the Giants’ championship run, as he took medalist honors during rounds three and four of the event, carding a 77 and 74 respectively, as Keystone overcame a 15 stroke deficit to the claim the title. He continued his success for the Giants, helping lead the team to the 2005 ECAC title and the 2005 and 2006 NEAC crowns.
Zearfoss kick started the Giants’ title hopes by carding a 77 on day one of the event to tie for second place individual medalist honors. He was another of those Keystone players who used the past success of the program to build the USCAA winner. Zearfoss was a key cog on the 2003 NJCAA Region XIX Championship team, as well as a squad that won eight of nine tournaments in the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference in 2001.
