BOONE, N.C. – After securing its best Sun Belt Conference finish in school history this spring, the App State men's golf program is looking to keep climbing with the addition of four newcomers in its 2021 signing class.
Mountaineers head coach
Jason Allison will welcome Wofford graduate transfer Ryan Marter to the team next season, as well as incoming freshmen
Josh Buxbaum, James Gradisek and Ben Locker.
"We are excited about these new additions to our golf program," Allison said. "Ryan is going to come in and immediately help our team. He has a strong track record as a collegiate golfer, and he's an excellent student who will be pursuing a master's degree in the Walker College of Business. Josh is another signee who we think will develop into a really good golfer. We also look for James and Ben to bolster our roster."
Below are some highlights of each App State newcomer.
Ryan Marter (Wofford/A.C. Flora/Columbia, S.C.)
An All-Southern Conference performer during the 2020-21 season who spent the previous four years as a Division I standout at Wofford, Marter finished second in the SoCon with a per-round scoring average of 72.11 in 2021. His season was highlighted by a first-place finish at the Wofford Invitational thanks to a 7-under total over three rounds (69-69-71—209). He played 81 career rounds for the Terriers and had his season average improve every year. A two-time U.S. Amateur participant, he had five top-10 finishes and 11 finishes in the top 20 during his final three seasons at Wofford. He boasts a career-low round of 66 from the 2021 Furman Intercollegiate.
As a student, Marter graduated from Wofford with a bachelor's degree in accounting and will pursue a master's in accounting at App State. He was a 2020 GCAA All-American Scholar and received SoCon Commissioner's Medal (3.8 GPA or higher) in 2019-20 and was a repeat member of the SoCon Academic Honor Roll. He was also a member of Wofford's Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
Josh Buxbaum (Wake Forest HS/Wake Forest, N.C.)
Listed at No. 11 in North Carolina's Tarheel Youth Golf Association Junior Boys rankings for the class of 2021, Buxbaum averaged a 73.98 per round this past year. He was a 2020 N.C. Boys and Girls All-State Team member from the Tarheel Youth Golf Association. He tied for 21st at the 4-A state championships as a senior after qualifying for that event thanks to a round of 72 and a sixth-place finish in his regional, a performance that helped Wake Forest win the regional title. As a senior, he helped Wake Forest win its first league title in more than 20 years. He was coached at Wake Forest by Justin Richards, an App State alum.
James Gradisek (Malvern Prep/Wayne, Pa.)
A standout at Malvern Prep in southeastern Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, Gradisek made the Inter-Academic all-league team in 2019. In 2020, he posted a 16th-place finish at the HJGT Philadelphia Summer Junior Open and shot a 1-under 71 at Pottstown's Brookside Country Club for a three-shot victory in the 16-18 division during a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour event. He helped the Philadelphia Country Club win its first Junior Team Championship in 2020 and was the Philadelphia Country Club Junior Club Champion in 2018.
Ben Locker (Forest HS/Ocala, Fla.)
A first-team all-area performer as a senior at Forest High school, Locker averaged a 37.2 over nine holes in 2021. He was a regional qualifier and two-time medalist with a low nine-hole score of 34, while placing third at the conference tournament. Locker tied for 12th at the Palatka Junior Azalea event, with help from an opening-round 74, and 17th at the Jacksonville Open in 2021. He tied for 24th place at the FJT Everglades Open (16-18 division) in 2020.
