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n Thursday, March 6, 2014, Central Bucks West senior Tyler Sokolis was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to golf at St. Joseph’s University. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Cardinal Camera sponsors all SOL college signings on SuburbanOneSports.com. For additional information about purchasing a commemorative keepsake of the signing, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/forms/college-signings.
Tyler Sokolis – Saint Joseph’s University (Golf)
Major: Food Marketing
Final list of colleges: St. Joe’s, Delaware, Temple, Bridgewater, Elon, Penn State
Reasons for choosing St. Joe’s: “When I talked to the coach, he always replied, and he always seemed like he really cared. When I sent e-mails out to some of the bigger schools, it just seemed like ‘we’d love to have you,’ but with the St. Joe’s coach, it felt like he really wanted me. I have a friend TJ Summers who goes there, and it just felt familiar to me. I didn’t want to go too far from home, and they had the majors I wanted.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in golf at the collegiate level? “I started playing golf when I was about five, but then I dropped it and picked it up again when I was 12. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I started thinking, ‘I could do this.’ I came up with TJ Summers. We’re neighbors, so we play all through the summer. I saw how good he got, and I was like, ‘I could definitely get to that level.’”
Coach Bob Schilling says: “From the first year he started playing for us as a freshman - it’s kind of rare that you get first-year players to come in and start on varsity, but you can tell a special kid from the time they get there. He just had all the mechanics and skill level, but still, there’s a maturity level he has to work through. I know the first two years everybody is saying - why the heck isn’t this kid tearing it up? It’s just a matter of him getting comfortable with the format and things like that.
“By the time he was a junior, he had played in a lot of tournaments and had the foundation to really start to feel comfortable out there on the golf course. Competition was just second nature to him at that point, and from his junior year and senior year, he just had outstanding achievements all the way through. He was one of the most valuable players on our team in terms of his presence and his ability just rally around other kids and get everybody excited about playing.
“Senior leadership is always important for a good team, and we had a nice team by the time he was a senior. I think his presence was an integral part of us being successful. He’s a real nice kid with a good demeanor about him and a maturity level – things like that are important, and athletics and golf kind of solidify that and get kids to the point where they mature a little bit quicker.”
About Tyler:
Favorite food: Whatever mom makes for me, I’ll eat.
Favorite movie: The Godfather
Favorite music: Hip Hop/Rap
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