The Youngstown State men’s golf team will open its 2024-25 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 Penguins will be opening a six-tournament fall schedule that will conclude in mid-October before the season resumes in the spring.

The tournament field at the Red Bandana Invitational will feature 10 other schools including Boston College, LaSalle, Manhattan, Maryland Eastern Shore, Mercyhurst, North Dakota State, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis and Toledo.

The teams will play 36 holes on Sunday and 18 holes on Monday in the two-day, 54-hole event on Turning Stone’s Kaluhyat Course. Play is scheduled to begin with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. each day. The course will play approximately 7,105 yards and par is 72.

Head Coach Tony Joy has announced that YSU’s five-player lineup will feature Ryan Sam, Jake Ryan, Michael Porter, Rocco Turner and Jordan Kish.

Season Preview

Joy Enters 41st Season as Head Coach

• Legendary head coach Tony Joy will enter his 41st season leading the YSU men’s golf program in 2024-25.
• Joy, the 2014 Horizon League Coach of the Year, has had an impressive run as the head coach of the program. The Mahoning Valley native is the second-longest tenured head men’s golf coach in the nation heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
• Joy took over in the fall of 1983 and has been in charge of the Penguins ever since, becoming one of the longest-tenured coaches in YSU history. A former standout golfer at Youngstown State, Joy was inducted into the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.

Looking to Build on Strong Finish to 2023-24

• Youngstown State will be looking to build on a strong finish to the 2023-24 season that featured a third-place finish at the 2024 Horizon League Championships. The Penguins recorded a three-round team total of 880 to finish in the top three at the league meet for the second time in the last three years.
• YSU returns a pair of players who competed at the 2024 Horizon League Championships. Rising junior Ryan Sam finished tied for 10th with a three-round total of 221 (77-72-72) while rising senior Jacob Sylak tied for 14th in his debut at the league meet with a three-round total of 223 (72-76-75).

Returning Experience

• Five student-athletes on YSU’s 10-player roster have prior collegiate experience. Senior Jacob Sylak has competed in 18 tournaments and 51 rounds over his first three seasons as a Penguin. Sylak averaged a career-best 75.8 strokes per round with a career-low round of 70 as a junior in 2023-24. The Mineral Ridge, Ohio, native finished tied for 14th in his debut at the Horizon League Championships with a three-round total of 223 (72-76-75).
• Junior Ryan Sam has participated in 19 tournaments and 55 rounds over his first two years with the program. Sam averaged a career-best 75.2 strokes per round with a career-low round of 68 as a sophomore last season. He earned a career-best sixth-place finish at the Bucknell Invitational with a three-round 211 (74-68-69). Sam also finished tied for 10th at the Horizon League Championships with a three-round total of 221 (77-72-72).
• Redshirt sophomore Michael Porter competed in seven tournaments and 21 rounds as a redshirt freshman last season while sophomore Jake Ryan participated in three events and nine rounds as a true freshman in 2023-24.
• Porter averaged 76.0 strokes per round with a low round of 68 as a redshirt freshman in 2023-24. The McDonald, Ohio, native fired a three-under-par 68 at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational in the first competitive round of his collegiate career. Porter’s 68 represents the lowest round by a YSU freshman since Pluchinsky carded a 66 at the Horizon League Championships in April 2013.
• Ryan averaged 78.3 strokes per round with a low round of 73 in his debut collegiate season.
• In addition, redshirt senior Conner Stevens has competed in seven tournaments and 20 rounds over the last three campaigns.

Youth Movement

• Seven of YSU’s 10 players in 2024-25 will be underclassmen, and several will be striving to see their first collegiate action.
• Redshirt sophomore Ayden Richmond did not see action in any tournaments last season after redshirting in 2022-23. Redshirt freshmen Josh Weiner and Nolan Shilling also return after redshirting in 2023-24.
• In addition, the Penguins have a pair of true freshmen who will each make their collegiate debut on Sunday at the Red Bandana Invitational.
• Jordan Kish was a four-year letterwinner and two-time Stark County Player of the Year while playing for his father, Head Coach Jim Kish, at Jackson High School. The Massillon, Ohio, native claimed Stark County Player of the Year honors while qualifying for the Ohio Division I State Tournament as a junior in 2022 and as a senior in 2023.
• Rocco Turner was a two-time First-Team All-Ohio selection and four-time district qualifier at Cardinal Mooney High School. The Youngstown, Ohio, native claimed the Ohio Division III individual state title while earning first-team all-state honors as a junior in 2022. He also earned a fifth-place finish at the state tournament as a senior in 2023 to earn first-team all-state recognition for the second straight season.

Roster Breakdown

• Youngstown State’s 2024-25 roster includes nine players from the state of Ohio and one from Pennsylvania. There are five Mahoning Valley natives and four additional student-athletes who hail from Northeast Ohio.
• YSU’s roster includes two seniors, one junior, three sophomores and four freshmen.

For the latest news and updates throughout the 2024-25 season, follow @YSUMensGolf on X and Instagram.