The Youngstown State men's golf team will open its 2023-24 season on Sunday when it begins play in the Red Bandana Invitational hosted by Boston College at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, N.Y.

The event will feature 14 other schools including Boston College, Canisius, Delaware, George Mason, Le Moyne College, Longwood, Maryland Eastern Shore, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary's, Niagara, Ottawa, Sacred Heart, West Virginia and William & Mary.

The teams will play 36 holes on Sunday and 18 holes on Monday in the two-day, 54-hole event. Play will begin with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. each day. The course will play approximately 7,105 yards and par is 72. Live scoring will be available at Spikemark.com.

Head Coach Tony Joy has announced that YSU's lineup will feature Justin Atkinson, Dean Austalosh, Ryan Sam, Jacob Sylak and Jake Ryan.

Season Preview

Christman Returns for Fifth Year

• Cole Christman returns for a fifth season as a Penguin in 2023-24. The Boardman, Ohio, native has competed in 33 tournaments and 89 rounds over the last four seasons. He participated in eight tournaments and 23 rounds last season while averaging 77.4 strokes per round with a low round of 69.
• Christman finished fourth at the Horizon League Championships as a junior in 2021-22 with a three-round score of 212 (72-69-71). The fourth-place finish was the highest by a Penguin at the league meet since 2011, and he became the first Penguin since 2015 to be named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team.

Sam Looks to Build on Impressive Debut Season

• Ryan Sam returns after making an immediate impact in his first season as a Penguin. The Canfield, Ohio, native competed in all 11 tournaments and 32 rounds as a true freshman in 2022-23.
• Sam posted a 75.7 strokes-per-round average, a mark that ranked third on the team. Sam's 75.7 scoring average was also the lowest mark by a YSU freshman since Michael Turner averaged 74.8 strokes per round in 2007-08. He recorded a low round of 70 at the Bucknell Invitational, which was the lowest round by a YSU freshman since Christman fired a 69 at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational on Sept. 9, 2019.

Returners Provide Depth and Experience

• In addition to Christman and Sam, YSU's 2023-24 roster features three other returners who are expected to provide depth and experience in the lineup. Redshirt senior Dean Austalosh, junior Jacob Sylak and redshirt junior Conner Stevens all return for the Penguins in 2023-24.
• Austalosh has competed in 15 tournaments and 41 rounds for YSU over the last three seasons. The Campbell, Ohio, native participated in nine tournaments and 26 rounds last season with a career-best 75.7 strokes-per-round average and a low round of 71.
• Sylak has competed in eight tournaments and 22 rounds over his first two seasons as a Penguin. The Mineral Ridge, Ohio, native participated in five tournaments and 14 rounds last season with a career-best 77.6 strokes-per-round average and a low round of 73.
• Stevens has competed in six tournaments and 17 rounds over the last two campaigns. The Brookfield, Ohio, native participated in five tournaments and 14 rounds last season with a 78.3 strokes-per-round average and a low round of 72.

Impact Transfers

• Youngstown State brought in a pair of experienced transfers from the Division II level during the offseason in Justin Atkinson and Jimmy Graham.
• Atkinson, a native of nearby Brookfield, Ohio, was a standout for Division II Findlay over the last three seasons. As a freshman in 2020-21, he was named G-MAC Freshman of the Year while earning first-team all-conference honors. As a sophomore in 2021-22, Atkinson was again named First-Team All-G-MAC after posting a 73.06 strokes-per-round average. He tied for 51st at the NCAA DII National Championship, and he was named an Academic All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
• As a junior in 2022-23, Atkinson was named First-Team All-G-MAC for the third straight season after recording a 73.63 strokes-per-round average over nine tournaments. He fired a season-low round of 63 (-8) in the second round of the West Liberty Invitational to set a new program and conference 18-hole scoring record.
• Graham, a native of nearby Warren, Ohio, was a standout for Division II Notre Dame College over the last four seasons. He was a two-time All-Mountain East Conference Honorable Mention selection and two-time member of the MEC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
• Graham was named All-MEC Honorable Mention for the second time in his career as a senior in 2022-23. Graham tied for fourth at the Charleston Invitational with a two-round score of 142 (71-71), and he tied for eighth at the Mercyhurst Fall Invitational with a two-round 148 (75-73).

Talented Underclassmen

• In addition to the six upperclassmen on the roster, YSU also has six talented underclassmen who are expected to make an impact in 2023-24. In addition to Sam, redshirt freshmen Michael Porter and Ayden Richmond also return in 2023-24 after redshirting last season. Additionally, YSU brought in three talented true freshmen in Jake Ryan, Nolan Shilling and Josh Weiner.
• Ryan will make his collegiate debut as a part of YSU's lineup at the Red Bandana Invitational. The Akron, Ohio, native was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Archbishop Hoban High School. He was named First-Team All-Northeast Ohio in 2021 and 2022, and he was named Honorable Mention All-Northeast Ohio in 2019 and 2020. Ryan was a four-time qualifier for the Ohio Division I state tournament, and he never finished lower than fourth at the event.
• Shilling was a standout at Franklin Regional High School, where he posted an 18-hole tournament scoring average of 73.5 during his senior season. Weiner was a two-sport standout in golf and ice hockey at Walsh Jesuit High School. The Macedonia, Ohio, native was named Team MVP for the Walsh Jesuit golf team in 2021 and 2022. He served as a varsity team captain in 2022, was named the team's Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2019 and earned all-conference honors in 2021. Weiner qualified for the Ohio Division I state tournament as a junior and senior.

Roster Composition

• Youngstown State's 2023-24 roster features four seniors, two juniors, one sophomore and five freshmen.
• 11 of YSU's 12 players in 2023-24 hail from Northeast Ohio, and eight players are from the Mahoning Valley. Christman and Sam each played at Boardman High School while Atkinson and Stevens were teammates during their prep careers at Brookfield High School.

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