[Men's Golf] Senior Day - Thomas Resnick
Among many things, the COVID-19 pandemic prematurely ended the athletic careers of the majority of the St. Ambrose spring sport seniors.
Through no fault of their own, these seniors had their final seasons, and collegiate careers, shortened. Yet this does not diminish in any way their contributions to St. Ambrose University and the Athletic Department.
Some of these seniors were on the verge of postseason play, with sights set on competing for National Titles. Others were just getting their final seasons started. And still others never had a chance to compete this spring.
While COVID-19 brought a close to the SAU athletic careers of these seniors, it also robbed the St. Ambrose Athletic Department the opportunity to thank them for their contributions on the playing field, in the classroom and in the community.
Over the next several weeks, we will share stories on each of these seniors. In a way, this will be the Senior Day we were never able to give them.
These are our Seniors of 2020.
| Hometown: Bettendorf, Iowa | High School: Davenport Assumption |
| Parents: John and Kandi Resnick | Major: Accounting |
| In his words: "My time at St. Ambrose University was undoubtedly some of the greatest years of my life. I was surrounded by amazing friends, a great golf team, and supportive teachers. I am thankful for Coach Griebel, my family, and the accounting department for helping me establish a great path for my future. And finally, GO BEES!" |
His grandfather taught at St. Ambrose.
His father and two of his uncles attended St. Ambrose.
It seemed obvious for Thomas Resnick, a Quad-City native and a Davenport Assumption High School graduate, to continue that legacy.
But it wasn't that obvious to Thomas. At least not right away.
Pictured below: Thomas Resnick and his family
"It was always the hometown thing. I've always known about Ambrose. I went to basketball camps there in the summer. We'd go to football games when I was younger. Seeing college football games at Brady Street Stadium, the place where Assumption also played, was pretty cool.
"But Ambrose was the one college I ruled out because it was in the same town. I was planning on going away to school. But I did my duty to make my dad happy and visited. I talked to an accounting professor and Coach (Jeff) Griebel and after that, I really couldn't find a reason not to pick Ambrose, other than it was so close. I got over the fact that it was in town. It was just never the front runner until I made the decision."
Thomas ultimately followed in the footsteps of his grandfather James, a Chemistry professor at St. Ambrose, and his father John and uncles Pete and Paul.
Like choosing St. Ambrose, picking golf was a difficult, yet ultimately correct decision.
A junior varsity golfer as a high school junior, Thomas qualified for state in tennis that same year. The following year, his golf game improved so much, he earned first team all-conference honors. That was paired with a state doubles title in tennis.
"I just got so much more enjoyment from golf. I didn't like the singles aspect of tennis and I knew that would be part of playing tennis in college. And I really enjoyed the relaxing, laid back aspect of golf. I got so much better in two years in high school that I wanted to see what golf could lead to."
It led to a varsity spot and three top-10 finishes over the last two years for the Bees. This spring, Thomas and his teammates were poised to compete for a conference championship and a bid to the NAIA National Tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We were going to be competitive the rest of the spring and at the conference meet. We were right there to go to Nationals. Never playing at the national tournament is tough but you have to adapt. It's not just our golf team, this happened to everyone. I always wanted to go out on a high note but at the end of the day, life still goes on."
Looking back, Thomas is happy with how his decisions played out.
"Ambrose has been the best four years of my life. Ambrose and golf got coupled together. Golfers get to move in early and I had such a great, positive experience when I moved in as a freshman. My teammates became some of my best friends. I had fantastic accounting professors who worked with me and around golf and extracurriculars.
"Golf and my academic program gave me fantastic balance. I was never too lopsided on either one. It was a perfect balance, and exactly what I wanted. I was able to succeed as an accounting major and play varsity golf at St. Ambrose. It was great how they meshed together."