By Jared Fields, Sports Editor

Golf coach Mike Campbell signed 5 golfers this summer to add to his team for the 2005-06 season. Cian Daly, Patrick Hanauer, Matt Smith, Hilton Funk and Michael Andruchek are the new recruits who will compete for playing time this year.

Campbell said he should have a good mix of players and talent this year.

“We have leaders, and the new guys coming in are really going to help our squad over the fall semester,” Campbell said. “It’s going to be a battle to make the top five.”

Daly is a transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where he was an all-region player last year. Daly is originally from Limerick, Ireland, before moving to the States to play golf.

Hanauer is a freshman and a native of Belgium. Since 2000, he has been a member of the Belgian National Team and has played in three consecutive European Team Championships.

Funk is from the Austin area, but has spent some time in South Africa where his parents are missionaries. Last year in high school, Funk finished 2nd in the 2A state tournament. Smith is a freshman from Sugar Land where he lettered all four years of high school, and Andruchek is a freshman from Flower Mound.

Along with the new players, Campbell returns five players from last year’s squad. Among the five returning are senior Matt Samples and junior Kyle Byerly.

Byerly finished 14th in last year’s NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament and Samples placed 22nd in the individual standings. Senior Carlos Alvarez of Venezuela, junior Zach Starns and sophomore Curtis Harris round out the returning five.

With the mix of experience and youth, the Wildcats’ goals are still high.

“Our ultimate goal is to get to the national tournament,” Campbell said. “But our first goal is to get to the regional tournament Ð to be one of the top eight teams in the division Ð so we can get to regional.”