Fifth-year senior and marketing strategy, sports marketing, human resource management, sports management, and economics quintuple major, Mitchell Vance returned to FMU for a fifth year because he felt he had unfinished business on the golf course.
Because of COVID-19, all athletes who were supposed to have a season during the 2019-2020 school year received the year back, which was dubbed “the COVID year.” This extra year of eligibility also allows him to graduate from FMU with five degrees.
“I came back for my fifth year because I couldn’t redshirt my freshman year, and I felt like I had some things to accomplish,” Vance said.
At FMU, golf is the only Division I sport and part of the Southland Conference. All other athletic teams belong to the Division II Conference Carolina’s conference.
Vance has had nothing but fond memories during his five years here at FMU. Of all his memories, his favorite was winning their host tournament during his junior year.
“My favorite golf memory is when we won our host tournament, the Wexford Intercollegiate, my junior year,” Vance said. “Seeing the smile on coach’s parents’ faces was something that I’ll remember forever.”
Vance got into golf at a young age. He credits his love for the game to his father, who bought him his first set of clubs.
“I started in golf when I came home from a baseball tournament and my dad asked me if he bought a set of clubs would I play,” Vance said. “It was off to the races from there and I wouldn’t be where I am today without saying ‘yes’ to that question.”
Coming back for his fifth year means this will be Vance’s last year of college golf eligibility. With that in mind, Vance knew he had to make big goals for himself and his team. He knew that in order to achieve his team goal, he would have to mirror his personal goals.
“Goals this season are to win the conference and ultimately make it to a national championship,” Vance said. “My personal goals are to keep improving day in and day out to reach those bigger goals.”
Being on the golf team for five years now means that Vance would have to step into a larger leadership role. Since he has been on his team the longest, it was now his responsibility to help lead his team to success. He believes that leadership starts with him, and if he plays hard, it will
encourage his teammates to play hard, too.
“To lead my team to success, I have to play well,” Vance said. “It’s almost like a domino effect, if they see me playing well it will encourage them to play harder.”
Having five majors on top of playing a Division I sport requires a lot of time management. Vance believes keeping his priorities in check has helped him manage his time better.
“Managing time is very challenging, but you have to put your priorities in order,” Vance said. “For me, it’s schoolwork, then golf, then work. If you can put them in an order, your time management will be better in the long run.”
Vance hopes to be a role model for others, just like Paul Brown and George Monk were for him.
“Some role models I have are Paul Brown and George Monk,” Vance said. “They are the head pro and assistant pro at my home club. They are always good at giving advice whether it’s golf or life related.”
Vance believes it is important for freshmen to never give up, even when times get tough. Additionally, he believes that if they work hard, the results will follow, and it will all be worth it in the end.
“For incoming freshmen, I would tell them to grind it out and not give up on it too quickly,” Vance said. “If you stick it out and enjoy what you’re doing, everything will be better off.”