Chemistry lesson yields Rattlers 1st Heartland title in 8 years

By Chad Peters | St. Mary's Athletics Communications

HORSESHOE BAY, Texas — St. Mary's Jonathan Ledger held tightly on to his newest possession, showing no interest in letting go of the prized Heartland Conference championship trophy Tuesday afternoon.

A few feet away, Ben Arnett playfully bit into a Heartland Conference sign, making the most of a celebratory moment that the Rattlers hadn't tasted in eight long years.

Elsewhere just outside the Slick Rock Golf Course clubhouse, Alex Bissaro, St. Mary's newest champion, posed for a selfie with his mom, Leticia Morales-Bissaro, arguably St. Mary's most famous champion.

And nearby, Emilio Gonzalez and Jake Stevenson stood with frozen faces — Gonzalez wide eyes and big smile illuminating his face, and Stevenson fighting back tears that told the story of the power of this moment.

Together, they had done it: Heartland Conference champions, they had become.

"It means so much," said Stevenson, whose Rattlers collectively shot a blistering 4-under-par in Tuesday's third and final round of the Heartland Conference Men's Golf championship to win the championship by 15 strokes for the team's first conference title since 2009.

"I love seeing my friends and teammates succeed," said Stevenson, a native of Boerne, Texas. "It makes me happier than anything else. We're all just such great friends. I don't even care that I shot 75 today. I'm so happy for these guys. It just means so much to be able to share a Heartland Conference championship with these guys."

Emilio Gonzalez (San Miguel, Mexico) headlined the victory with a torrid finish that saw him nearly chase down individual champion Zach Partin of UAFS. Gonzalez shot a 3-under 69 Tuesday, giving him a three-day total of 213 (3-under) — just one stroke off the championship-winning pace that Partin set. Gonzalez finished the tournament in sole possession of second place, helping the Rattlers secure an automatic bid to next month's NCAA South Central/West Super Regional.

He was one of three Rattlers to shoot even-par or better, as Bissaro, a senior from San Antonio, shot 2-under 70 to tie for 12th place overall. Arnett, a junior from Houston, Texas, carded an even-par 72 to tie for eighth place.

Ledger (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia), another senior, was only one stroke behind at 73. Stevenson, who sank four birdies on the day, carded a 75 to tie with Ledger for 15th overall.

Ledger said none of it would have been possible without newfound team chemistry that the men have been working hard all season to create.

"A big part of playing good golf is having good chemistry," he said. "If you don't have that, it's tough. Then you don't really care about how your teammate plays. We're closer than we were, but we can still do so much more."

Arnett elaborated on the team's inner growth, recalling an important meeting they had earlier this season.

"We had a discussion about things that needed to change as a team for us to make progress," he said. "We started to work together from then on out. It's become less about individual success and more about what we do as a team, and more so about being there for each other when things don't go the way we want them to."

Tuesday showed what can be achieved when that happens. But the Rattlers have their eyes set on even more as they move on to regionals.

"We're closer than we were," he said, "but we can still do so much more."

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Players Mentioned

Ben Arnett: 6' 0"; Junior

Alex Bissaro: 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior

Jonathan Ledger: Senior

Emilio Gonzalez: 5' 8"; Freshman

Jake Stevenson: 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ben Arnett
: 6' 0"; Junior

Alex Bissaro
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior

Jonathan Ledger
: Senior

Emilio Gonzalez
: 5' 8"; Freshman

Jake Stevenson
: 5' 10"; Freshman

St. Mary's University Athletics

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Chemistry lesson yields Rattlers 1st Heartland title in 8 years

Players Mentioned

Ben Arnett

Alex Bissaro

Jonathan Ledger

Emilio Gonzalez

Jake Stevenson

Players Mentioned

Ben Arnett

Alex Bissaro

Jonathan Ledger

Emilio Gonzalez

Jake Stevenson