Men's Golf Adds Three for 2011-12 Season
8/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Seton Hall men's golf Coach Clay White has announced three additions to the program for the 2011-12 season as Kamaal Khatumal (Freetown, Sierra Leone West Africa), Derrick Kim (New City, N.Y.), and Marc Kunesch (Newton, N.J.) will attend the university and compete for the Pirates.
"I am very excited about the young men we are bringing in," White said. "Part of the vision for this program is establishing Seton Hall Golf as a force in the metropolitan area. Bringing in local kids like Marc and Derrick who are also quality golfers can certainly help the program garner more recognition and support and hopefully attract more young men like them."
Khatumal joins the Pirates following two years of competing under amateur status as a post graduate student, a fact that will likely require him to sit out before regaining his eligibility. Khatumal is a former teammate of fellow Pirate golfer Gary Dunne at the IMG Leadbetter Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
"In Kamaal, we are fortunate to bring in a young man who is experienced, has a tremendous work ethic both on the course and in the classroom and is someone who can develop into a strong leadership presence for our team. With the opportunity to take a year to work on his game, I could certainly see him contributing significantly in the future," adds White.
Described as solid and consistent, Derrick Kim was one of the most successful high school golfers in New York State. Kim recently capped a career that saw him earn All-State and All-Section honors three times as well as All-County and All-League recognition in each one of his four years as a varsity team member.
"Derrick has had some impressive finishes throughout his high school career, so out of our three newcomers I can envision him having the most immediate impact for us next year. He has a lot of potential to be another in the line of highly productive and competitive Seton Hall golfers," said White.
Transfer student Marc Kunesch, a Newton, N.J. native joins Seton Hall following two years at Villanova University. Kunesch will be eligible to play for the Pirates this upcoming season as he did not compete for the Wildcats but remained an active member of the school's club golf team. Kunesch is a former standout at Pope John XXIII Regional High School (Sparta, N.J.) where he twice earned a SCIL First Team selection and was honored as a NJSIAA/NJPGA First Team Non-Public and Third Team All-State member as a junior. Kunesch was also the state winner of the Wendy's High School Heisman, "awarded for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community" for New Jersey in 2008.
"I recruited Marc as a freshman and I was excited to have a spot for him upon his decision to transfer from Villanova. Marc was a little unfortunate in that he contracted some major illnesses his freshman year that made it difficult for him to adjust to the collegiate game. I see this year as an excellent opportunity for Marc to showcase his talent and show that he is ready to compete at this level," added White.
The Pirates will tee-off for the first time in the 2011-12 season on Sunday, September 4th at the Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate Tournament in Verona, N.Y.
