Others play by different rules.

For the SDSU golf, tennis, and cross country teams, the first day of practice coincides with the first day of classes.

“The biggest challenge (to starting late) is that everything is so hectic. They’re worried about class, meetings, practice…the kids get thrown into the fire. There isn’t much of an adjustment period,” new head tennis coach Michael Engdahl said.

With cross country and men’s golf events scheduled within the first week of classes, it’s somewhat surprising that the practices don’t start sooner. Luckily, we have head cross country coach Rod DeHaven to put things into perspective:

“I don’t know of a cross country team that’s running a cover-two zone right now, and because we’re not running a cover-two, that’s probably why we can get away with it”

Starting practices so close to the first match, meet, or game may seem like a stressful time, but the three head coaches who were interviewed didn’t seem too worried about how their athletes would handle getting back into the swing of things.

“It’s nothing to get all worked up about. If our kids do the work in the summer, we don’t need to bring them in…it’s all part of the learning process,” DeHaven said.

Head golf coach Jared Baszler said he actually prefers not starting practices  until classes begin, so his golfers can play in tournaments that run up until the time school starts. For example, Jackrabbits men’s golfer David Smith played in the USGA Amatuer Championship just last week in Erin Hills, Wis., among 312 of the best men’s amateur golfers in the world.

Baszler also pointed out the fact that golf and tennis have two seasons: one in the fall, one in the spring.

“It works fine for us. It just makes it a little hectic, this year especially because typically we have two full weeks of practice, but this year we’re in a new tournament,” Baszler said.

The men’s and women’s tennis teams are the late bloomers, as they don’t have events scheduled until Sept. 23 and 30, respectively. That doesn’t mean they won’t be stressing about the start of their season and school. Engdahl said on the men’s side, they have 12 possible players to fill nine spots, so the team will have a “tryout-type atmosphere” in the month leading up to their first match.

The cross country team begins the year at the North Dakota Double Dual in Grand Forks, N.D. on Sept. 3.

For golf, the first tournament for the men is Sept. 5-6 at the Battle in the Tetons in Victor, Idaho, while the women are set to compete at the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa, Sept 10-11.

“It’s nothing the kids can’t handle. I know they’ve been working hard all summer and we’re ready to get off to a running start,” Engdahl said.

The SDSU men’s golf team finished the final round of play at the Kansas Invitational on Tuesday. This was the second tournament of the year and there is room for improvement, stability being a main concern for the young team.

“We need more consistency from top to bottom,” head coach Jared Baszler said.

After the first round of play, the Jacks sat in a tie with Drake University for ninth place with a combined score of 297. The team was ten shots off the lead, entering the second round when things took a turn for the worse. With a combined second round score of 305, the Jacks were bumped back to 11th place with only one round remaining.

“With this stiff competition, anything over 300 hurts ya,” Baszler said.

The Jacks were looking to stay competitive going into the last day of play. They shot a combined 298 in the third and final round on Tuesday. With a total score of 900, the Jacks finished a respectful 10th out of 15 teams in the tournament. Oklahoma City University won the event with a score of 865.

Sophomore David Smith shot 4 over par for the tournament and placed 15th overall.

“I struck the ball well but I didn’t capitalize on my putts,” Smith said.

This was a reoccurring theme for the Jacks as a whole throughout the event.

“We missed putts that we should have made, Baszler said. “Looking forward, we need to keep improving.”

The Jacks will need to practice their short game before traveling to Kansas State Sept. 27 to compete in the Jim Colbert Intercollegiate event.

Freshman Hudson Carpenter finished an impressive 7-over-par and placed 26th overall. With no senior leadership on the team, the Jacks will rely on some younger players to contribute and help the team compete.

The season has just begun and the team is confident in their abilities.

“We showed promise and we all played well,” Smith said. “I think we can make some noise this year.”

#1.1641613:480640027.jpg:Sophomore Greg Fehrman tied for 66th at the Kansas Invitational.:Sophomore Greg Fehrman tied for 66th at the Kansas Invitational. The Jacks finished 10th out of 15 teams over the weekend.:Collegian Photo by Ryan Robinson