Golf Excitement Translates into Support for Student Projects at Capitol

Golf enthusiasts and members of the Capitol Technology University community gathered on a brisk day in Windsor Mills on Monday (September 16) for a golf outing in support of student scholarships.

With autumn leaves and the rolling hills of central Maryland as a backdrop, 12  teams comprising 48 golfers teed off at The Woodlands, a challenging but fun course designed by celebrated golf course architect Lindsay Ervin, who has deemed it his “best design.”

Held every year in the autumn, the event raises proceeds that then go towards scholarships awarded to students. The 2016-17 Golf Scholarship winners, Ralph Stormer and Pierce Smith, addressed participants at the event.

Stormer said that he used the golf scholarship money to perform needed upgrades to his computer.

“I’m an astronautical engineering major, which means that I will have to run programs like STK, which is used for tracking satellites and propagating orbits,” Stormer said. “These programs are computationally and mathematically intensive."

The computer enhancement, he said, allows him to run these programs more smoothly and has freed up time for his senior project, which is focused on developing a modular design for CubeSats.

Smith spoke of his roots in rural Lancaster, Pennsylvania and recalled how he decided at an early age that he wanted to be an astronautical engineer. “I chose Capitol because of its hands-on activities and its great ability to get you a job,” he said.

Since his sophomore year, Smith has served as lead engineer for the Cactus-1 satellite mission, one of the most ambitious aerospace endeavors that the university has so far attempted.  In addition, he has helped design payloads for other projects conducted by student teams at the umiversity.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without scholarships,” he said.

Dr. Bradford L. Sims, the new president of Capitol Technology University, greeted the two scholarship recipients and also announced the tournament winners.

The Good Guys -- Bob Lentz, Robert Lentz, Tony Solesky, and Brad Tingle -- won first place this year, with a score of 60. Second place went to Pin Seekers – Chris Dionot, Haden Land, Dave Olson, and Chris Thomas – with 62. Shankapotomus, consisting of Fred Hessner, Paige Hessner, Jeff Rhyne, and Melinda Bunnell-Rhyne, won third place with a score of 63.

Jeff Rhyne scored the men’s longest drive, while the women’s longest drive was achieved by Terri Veenstra. The closest to the pin award went to Mark Liberatore.

For photos of the 2017 tournament, click here.