ELLISVILLE – Jones College will be making its first-ever appearance in the NJCAA Division II Golf Championship this week.
 
The Bobcats finished third in the NJCAA Gulf District Tournament April 21-23 at Tunica National Golf Club to qualify.
 
Jones was led by Sebastian Nowak, who was the tournament medalist at 7-under par over the three-day event.
 
Nowak, a sophomore from Stuttgart, Germany, had a good feeling going into the final round. He had posted scores of 70-70 before entering the final 18 holes.
 
"I was getting better throughout the season, so my confidence level definitely did rise," he said. "It was because it's the postseason and we needed it just to make our goal that we've had all year. I was confident, it was important for me to play well and I'm glad I did."
 
The Bobcats, ranked No. 9 in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA Division II Coaches Poll, had making the national tournament right at the top of team goals heading into the 2024-25 season.
 
Jones will now compete May 20-23 at the Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind., with 21 other teams. The Bobcats have sent several individuals to nationals over the years, but this is the first time for the whole team to qualify in Division II.
 
Nowak, along with Lewisburg freshman Drew Groscost, East Central sophomore Connor Phillips, England freshman Josh Tombs, South Jones sophomore Jacob Creel and England freshman Harvey Taylor will be representing Jones in the tournament.
 
Bobcat head coach Bob Herrington thought Nowak had a solid chance heading into the closing day.
 
"He was in the top four," Herrington said. "We felt like he was in good shape just based on what kind of final round he had. We were so focused on our team. Often times, someone like Sebastian gets overlooked in that situation. 
 
"We are so locked in on 'team' and he mentioned our team goal at the first of the year was to make nationals and that's a huge step for our program in just our third year."
 
Nowak shot a 3-under par 69 in the Gulf District final round to finish with a 209. That was two shots better than Mississippi Gulf Coast's John Mark Mills, who posted a 211. MGCCC's Stanley Campbell was third at 213.
 
Nowak was grouped with the two Bulldog golfers on the final day so he knew where he stood. But he did not keep up with the scores as close as one would think.
 
"I never checked the live scoring," he said "I knew that I was up there, but if you know where you are that kind of puts pressure on you. I just tried to play just as good as I possibly could. I just tried to play the golf course and not the other guys.
 
"After I felt I was getting close I knew that I had a big lead on the second guy. My goal was to get so far ahead that I could kind of take pressure off my myself going into 18."
 
Herrington said he was all over the course keeping up with the other Bobcat players, leaving assistant coach Gentry Barton tasked with following Nowak.
 
"Each round during the regional I never saw Sebastian hit three shots," he said. "Coach Barton updated me and he kind of stayed with him the last nine holes and let me know what was going on. We knew down the stretch he had gotten in position to win it and that's a credit to him. When it got time, he did what he needed to do to win the tournament."
 
Nowak said walking to the 18th green knowing he where he stood was a wonderful feeling.
 
"It was kind of cool. I walked up 18 knowing I was going to win and I was smiling a lot," he said. "I also knew we had done well enough to make it as a team. It was a nice feeling of beating everybody and winning regionals, but it was also nice knowing that I did well enough for the team."
 
In last year's Gulf District at Dancing Rabbit in Philadelphia, Nowak shot a 67 in the final round. He finished just one shot away from qualifying for nationals as an individual, but that experience helped him at Tunica.
 
"Last year at regionals was one of my best finishes of the season," he said. "I shot 67 in the final round, so I had a really good feeling about this tournament. The course that we played suited me in general. I could hit the ball farther than anybody else and it got wet over the last round and that gave me an advantage. I felt like I was in a spot to win it and obviously I wanted to win it."
 
Nowak credits Ted Long with helping him make the move to Ellisville from Germany. Long is a noted golf coach familiar with international players and guides them to playing opportunities in the United States.
 
Nowak said playing golf is a way to further his education.
 
"College golf in Germany has always been a thing," he said. "Studying abroad - studying in the U.S. - has always been a thing. Golf is kind of a way to get into that. I was kind of looking for something. I never had a major win so I was not on a huge list for big colleges. 
 
"But I knew I could play good golf. I had Ted Long working for me to help me find a place to go. He basically talked to Coach (Herrington). It was a quick thing, but I'm glad I did it."
 
Herrington said he had to rely on Long because he had never seen Nowak play.
 
"Most international players have a handler or coach," he said. "Ted and I talked once before and we talked again and he mentioned Sebastian and described him to me as a person, first of all, and then as a player. After talking to Ted, we had interest. It was different for us being a new program and it was a new adjustment for me as a coach.
 
"I am really glad Ted made the call and he has been a good source for me on future players. We have another one of Ted's players coming in next year."
 
Nowak came to Jones in time for the 2024 spring semester. He had to make some changes to his game to play in the states.
 
"Golfwise, it's a different type of grass over here," he said. "The short game is a completely different thing than back home. It took me a while to get used to that. I would say the courses we play tend to be more on the narrow, tighter end. There was a lot of a strategic game off the tee whereas I was used to hitting the ball far and not worrying about the direction."
 
Herrington said Nowak has improved tremendously since becoming a Bobcat.
 
"He came in mid-year last year and had to adjust quickly," Herrington said. "The first couple of months for him were totally different. Golf is a different sport and it's just so much more individualized. Our golfers have to understand what they have to do to take their game to the next level. Coach Barton and I try to give them the resources to do that."
 
Off the course, Nowak said that living in Ellisville is quite a change from what he was used to back home.
 
"It's way different," he said. "First of all, it's the food. Then it's just a different kind of people. I got introduced into living life as a Christian. We don't do that as much back home. I have also been introduced to a lot of really nice people that actually care about me. The weather here also makes it be more fun and enjoyable."
 
This week in Indiana will be a challenge for the Bobcats.
 
But Nowak believes the team will do well.
 
"I would say the first thing we all need to do is enjoy the week and enjoy what we've been working towards," he said. "I am going to give my best and everybody is going to give their best and we will see what's going to happen. We still will go full throttle and pedal to the metal, but we will enjoy the moment and the goal we have already achieved.
 
"I want to do as good as I can. I want to try and beat what I've done over the year and try to end the season with a bang."
 
Herrington said finishing in the upper part of the tournament would be huge for Jones golf.
 
"We have a great group of young men who are going," he said. "We are going to hit great shots and bad shots. That's just the way golf is. But if we could somehow finish in the top ten that would be a fantastic thing for our program.
 
"We are just so proud of our players. Golf is a sport where there are not a whole lot of spectators and fans don't get a chance to see the progress these guys have made. It's kind of an isolated sport and they sometimes don't get the recognition they deserve. We are just so proud for these guys that get to do something no other team at Jones has ever done."
 
After the tournament, Nowak will be deciding on his future plans.
 
"I will be going back to Germany over the summer," he said. "I've been talking to coaches and it will be a decision I will make with my family if I'm going to come back and finish my degree or if I stay home."
 
Herrington said there are several senior colleges interested in Nowak.
 
"He's got some options to figure out," he said. "He will have several offers and he will just have to sit down with his family and figure out what's best. We are proud of the fact that he has options."
 
The team flew out of Jackson to Indianapolis on Saturday morning and then drove two hours north to Plymouth.
 
Herrington said a trip to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., and, possibly, Chicago is on the agenda in addition to the week of golf.
 
"Notre Dame is about 45 minutes away and we plan to do that and let them see the campus," he said. "Chicago is about two and a half hours away, so I don't know if we will be able to make it there."
 
Nowak added that his time in Ellisville has been enjoyable.
 
"Even though we are a small town in south Mississippi that flies under the radar it's been a lot of fun," he said. "The guys I've gotten to know have been great. They have taken care of me very well. Even though everybody says it we kind of became a family. It is getting kind of emotional because we will all be going separate ways now. The one and a half years have gone by way quicker than I thought they would go by. It's been a lot of fun and we all grew together."
 
Herrington said having Nowak on the team has been a blessing.
 
"The most unique thing about college sports is that you have young people who are on their own for the first time and they are going through it with others who are leaving home for the first time," he said. "It's their first taste of adulthood. It's neat.
 
"I'm just glad we got a chance to spend a year and a half with Sebastian."
 
The 72-hole event concludes on Friday.