Riesen, Tornadoes overcome adversity to 3-peat in SBC Lake

Adversity is a term thrown around quite a bit in sports. Most coaches want to see how their teams or players handle adversity. But real adversity is what Columbian senior Jace Riesen and his golf teammates had to overcome the past two seasons. From his freshman season, Riesen had the intangibles and skills to dominate on the golf course. In his sophomore season, the Tornadoes won the SBC Lake title. So with him and others returning for two more years, the sky was the limit for the group. "I remember it was an SBC 18-hole championship (freshman year). I played and I shot an 86 and prior in the season I shot a 63 on nine holes," Riesen said when things clicked for him on the golf course. "So it was like, it was a huge leap for me and that gave me a lot of confidence, like wanting to come into the next year and play as good as I can. And that's just how it's kind of went. That gave me so much motivation."Things were trending in the right direction for the Tornadoes heading into the 2023 season. But then when the calendar changed to June 25, 2023 ... Everything changed.Jace's father, Luke Riesen, passed away. The morning after, Jace said he had two texts: one from coach Tony Vasko and the other from assistant coach Daniel Gilbert."Those were the first two texts that I got in the morning. Like that was insane for me because they were there immediately for me," Riesen said. "All of my friends had my back, all the golfers … everyone had my back. So we came out and played in the summer and we all got so much closer as a team. We were all best friends, not just teammates on the golf team. That meant so much to me."Coach Vasko said he didn't know the impact that text had on Riesen, but he just needed to be there for him."Knowing what he and his family was going through, I just wanted to be there for him and let him know that we love him and that we will always be there for him," Vasko said. "It's tough losing a parent when you are an adult, I couldn't imagine what it was like as a teenager. To see him handle the loss of his father the way he did was inspiring to me. The determination that Jace has shown the past couple of years made me a better coach. I didn't want to let him down. "He had gone through too much and I wanted to do whatever was necessary to help him achieve his goals. I am just so proud of the young man that he has become. Jace actually wrote me a letter. That meant more to me than anyone can imagine. I have a picture of it on my phone and I read it when I need a pick me up. He inspires me."One might wonder how Jace carried on? How he possibly still went to the golf course? How he still managed to play to his ability, which is the two-time player of the year in the SBC Lake and leading his team to an unprecedented three-straight league championship?How could he handle such adversity? "Golf is such a way for me to get away," Riesen said. "Like once he passed, I just … golf is everything. Like, I just wanted to be the best golfer and it just takes over your mind. You're just hitting your shot, you're not thinking about anything else. "I always loved coming (to the course) with him. It helped me. I just wanted to be the best that I could be for him … that was a big part of it. He liked watching and he just liked coming out with me. He'd ride in a cart with me. He was my biggest fan and my biggest heckler at the same time, you know."Vasko added: "He is just a special person from a special family. His mental toughness is off the charts, but more importantly he has a great support system around him. Jace has an amazing family that are his biggest fans," he said. "The gallery of family that typically follows Jace at events is very large and that support has had to really help. Jace's friends and teammates are also a big part of his success. "This group is so close and means the world to each other and to have your teammates there along with your family is something special. His network of family and friends has just allowed him to be who he is and have the success that he has had. It's been amazing to experience from my end."After the Tornadoes put together another special season winning the league title in 2023, with Riesen and others back, a chance at a three-peat was certainly on the table. However, a bad start at the Norwalk Shootout, didn't exactly instill a lot of confidence in the team. But the Tornadoes never panicked and battled back."Yeah, we knew coming into the season that we had a target on our back winning the league two times in a row, other teams wanna come for us," TC senior Brayden Boes said. "I think there was a little pressure going into that first match, which we got second to last, so that hit hard. We kind of bounced back at the next shootout, but still didn't win, so I wasn't sure what was going on at that point. We all hit a slump at the same time, but towards the end of the season we all spiked and started playing really good golf."But to battle back and win the tournament and win a third-straight title says a lot about our teammates and our coaches too. They push us to the limit every practice. It says a lot about how good of a relationship we all have."Nothing has been a walk in the park for the Tornadoes, but the gritty, hard-working group came together and found a way. That's what championship teams are made of."Words cannot express how proud I am of this team. Before the season we talked about what we want our legacy to be as we knew we had a chance to do something special," Vasko said. "Not many programs in Columbian history have won three league titles in a row. After our early-season stumbles, for these guys to turn it on was awesome to see and so validating for them because of the work that they put in. "Sometimes we can put in a ton of work and not see the results, but seeing the results makes it so much more worth it and shows the younger players what is possible if you put the time in. I'm hoping that this group has secured their legacy in Columbian history."But the history books are still open as of today as postseason play begins at 9 a.m. at Sycamore Springs in the Division I sectional.The goals are clear for TC. Now it's time to go out and execute."Our team has never won our sectional tournament, so that has been our biggest focus to win at the sectional," Riesen said. "We want to play our best golf and focus on each shot as it comes and then we can worry about the rest at a different time."Vasko added: "We want to win the sectional tournament. This is one thing that this group has yet to do. We have finished in the top 5 in order to qualify for districts, but we have never won the sectional tournament," he said. "Doing that would be pretty special. "Another goal is to make it to state. That is extremely difficult in our district as only one team and one individual on a non-qualifying team move on to state from districts. We know we have a chance to achieve our goals if we all play our best in the postseason."Whatever adversity the Tornadoes face in the postseason, it certainly doesn't compare what Riesen and his teammates have already overcome.