Bulldog in the Spotlight: Ryan Kiel

Q. As a junior how has college been for you so far? A. College has flown by. It seems like yesterday I was attending orientation and now I'm smack in the middle of my junior year. College has been fun; I've grown up and matured so much over the past couple of years both in school and in my golf.

Q. How's the season overall going? A. The season started out great with Jeff Rein leading our team to a 3rd place team finish at the Rhodes College Golf Classic which is a very elite division III golf tournament. We have yet to play up to our potential but have fared decent in our four fall tournaments. We have high expectations and I would really like to lead our team back to the national championship tournament.

Q. How have the practices been for you? A. Practice has been a big part of my semester so far. I have made several big changes in my golf game over the past year and it takes quite a bit of practice and dedication to get to where I would like to be when I graduate which is the PGA Tour.

Q. What's it like to compete against numerous competitors at one time? A. It's fun. I love the challenge. I love that golf rests solely on your shoulders and you can't blame anyone except for yourself for the mistakes you make. That makes it so much more special when you win a tournament because you know you did it, you accomplished what everyone was competing for.

Q. How do you balance between school and practice? A. It's tough. This semester has been the hardest to keep up with so far. It seems like every test I've had so far has fallen on a day when I've been out for golf. It's really nice to have the professors that work with you and understand how tough it is to be a NCAA student-athlete. The key to my success in class has been my professors working with me on makeup tests etc. I owe them big time.

Q. How does your game schedule look from here until the end of the season? A. No tournaments until March. Practice, Practice and maybe a bit more practice after that.