ROMEOVILLE - After winning the Great Lakes Valley Conference title and earning the program's first NCAA Division II Championship team invitation two years ago, the Lewis University men's golf team finished a strong second in the GLVC and made a second consecutive NCAA appearance last season.

Although Tres Steffey, the team's No. 2 golfer from a year ago, has graduated, the Flyers return the other seven competitors from their 2003-04 squad. That's a good-news/bad-news scenario for 12th-year head coach Dennis Troy.

"Don't get me wrong, we have a quality group of guys coming back," Troy said. "But the fact that we have so many returning players restricted our recruiting because all our scholarship money already had been allocated. As a result, I wasn't able to go out and find somebody to replace Steffey.

"On paper, we have some unanswered questions and perhaps are not as strong as we would like to be," Troy added. "Our No. 4 and No. 5 spots are wide open. But that could become a positive if our players come in ready to take charge and compete. The chance to earn a lot of playing time is there for guys who have their game ready."

Any discussion of Lewis golf must begin with senior three-time All-GLVC performer Jason Buffone, who last season won the conference tournament, garnered GLVC Player of the Year accolades and tied for third place at the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Championship, narrowly missing an NCAA Championship berth. Buffone's 74.62 average led the team.

"In my opinion there have been two great golfers at Lewis - Jason Shook and Jason Buffone," Troy said. "Jason Buffone has been solid and steady for our team from day one."

As freshmen, Rob Peters (78.50) and Lloyd Roth (78.93) were third and fourth on the team, respectively, in scoring and tied for 11th place at the GLVC Championship. Troy expects a lot from the sophomore duo.

"Rob and Lloyd played well in their freshman season, and they'll have to carry more of a load this year," Troy said.

Senior Curt Trizzino could make a big impact if he returns to the form he showed two seasons ago. Trizzino redshirted last year after placing 13th at the 2003 GLVC Championship.

"There always is a question about a player who sits out a year," Troy said. "Curt will give us a big lift if he picks up where he left off and improves throughout the season."

Senior Dean Katsaros and sophomore Dennis McLain are back after enjoying some bright spots last year, and senior Ryan Hewson and junior Kevin Lind also return. Freshmen John Tsitouris and Peter Schrum are Lewis' only newcomers.

"We have several guys who will have to find a way to fit into the equation, and it may take awhile to evaluate what we have," Troy said. "One thing is a certainty, though. With the tough competition we face in our conference and region, we'll have to be ready to play every time we step on the course."