TOWSON, Md. -- Senior Chris Scialo is hoping whatever is affecting his golf game is contagious and spreads quickly among his Towson teammates.
He's on fire. He's hot. He's on a roll.
"After his exceptional year last year and off of a great summer, I expect Chris to be a leader on this year's team," said Tiger coach Brian Yaniger. "Senior leadership is an essential part of any successful squad and I think that is another area in which Chris will contribute greatly."
Scialo is coming off a junior year that had him ranked as high as 11th nationally when he was averaging 69.9.
This past summer he was one of only 25 golfers nationwide to qualify for both the U.S. Amateur Public Links and U.S. Amateur Championships. In addition, he won the Brae Burn Invitational, an event that attracts the best amateurs in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut region.
Upon his return to Towson this year he posted qualifying rounds of 68 and 63 at Hillendale. The 63 matched his career low.
"All summer long I've been hitting greens," said Scialo. "When I shot the 63 the other day I hit 17 of them. I reached the par-5's in two and got some putts to roll in. I've told our guys if I can do it, then 68 is certainly possible for them."
Scialo missed last year's Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. Teammates Josh Jenkins and Pat Hinch were trying to shake off injuries. Neither was anywhere near the top of his game. Without the guns, the Tigers finished 10th, Towson's worst showing ever in the CAA championships.
"That simply is not going to happen again," said Scialo, who is set on helping Towson return to the NCAA tournament for a fourth appearance. "I know we can play with VCU and Georgia State and be a top team in the CAA. Last year we didn't count many scores for our number five player (low four scores count in college team golf). If we can get someone to step up and take that five spot, and with everyone healthy again, we should be improved."
With the momentum Scialo has going, he's looking forward to an incident free senior year. Going into his sophomore season at Towson he was involved in an automobile accident that landed him in intensive care for five days. He was returning from a summer golf tournament when the car in which he was riding swerved off the road and crashed. He broke his femur and ankle. Blood clots compounded the situation.
"I went through a lot of rehab," Scialo recalled. "I healed quickly and was able to play late in the fall."
But his game suffered. In the summer, 2008, it started coming around again. He captured the Arcola Cup, a local event featuring the top golfers in the metropolitan New York area.
In the Tigers' first outing last fall he was the medalist at the Rutgers Invitational. He never finished lower than 8th all fall, playing nine of the 13 rounds under par. He was named CAA Golfer of the Week twice.
His 2009 spring ended prematurely with him on the sidelines for the final three events.
He'd like to take this all the way in 2009-10.
