Heidelberg Athletics Hall of Fame
In the fall of 1990, Todd Bertermann covered his and Rob Karnes suite in Miller Hall with yellow post-it notes, on which was written "OAC Champions." He did this in an effort to convince his roommates, along with his own, subconsciously that they could win—it must have worked.
The nine men, coached by Dick West, were led by seniors Rob Karnes and Troy Wilson, and sophomore Rick Stone, who would go on to place second, fifth and eighth respectively in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament. Also contributing greatly to the team were senior Charles "Des" Howe, and juniors Mike Pilkington and Todd Bertermann. The team was rounded out by sophomore Todd Bell and two freshmen, Todd DeBouver and Scott Wolfe.
The fight to become OAC Champions was not an easy one. The men faced tough competition from around the conference, with the top four teams ending up within five strokes of one another. The first round ended with the men in third place and future runner-up Rob Karnes tied for sixth in the individual rankings, actually behind teammates Wilson and Stone who were currently second and fourth respectively.
By the end of play the next day, the men topped Mount Union and heavily favored Otterbein, but tied with Hiram for first place—both teams earned an overall score of 637. Karnes cut four strokes off his score the previous day, shooting three over par with a 75, and finished second with an overall score of 154. Wilson finished at fifth with 157, and Stone finished eighth with a score of 159.
Karnes, Wilson, and Stone would go onto earn All-OAC Honors, and Karnes would also be named First Team Academic All-OAC for the second year in a row, honoring his accomplishments in both the classroom and on the green. Bertermann, Karnes, and Howe would all go onto work as PGA Golf Professionals around the country.
(The profile appeared in the Hall of Fame Banquet program. Mr. Bertermann passed away in 2018.)
