Arkansas Tech University Men's Golf

Calcatera, mediocrity is not an option. Calcatera has been an irreplaceable part of the Arkansas Tech men's golf program since he arrived as a freshman at Arkansas Tech in 2003. As a player and a coach, Calcatera's experience within the program has proven to be successful on and off the course. In 2003, Calcatera chose to play at Tech under the former coach Dave Falconer. While at Tech, he was a part of Tech's 2004 Gulf South Conference Championship team and also a member of its NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament team in 2004. In his career at Tech, Calcatera recorded a scoring average of 75 (6,423 strokes/85 rounds), which is tied for seventh on the school's all-time list and his single-season scoring average of 73 (1,756 strokes/24 rounds) as a freshman in 2003-04 is tied for fourth on the school's single-season scoring average chart. Calcatera played in 85 rounds, which is sixth on the school's all-time list. Prior to playing at Tech, he played four seasons of golf at Keller High School, including earning three letters and being a three-time All-District selection for the Indians. In 2010, Calcatera's former coach, Coach Falconer, had retired after 22 years at the helm of the Wonder Boys. Coach Falconer passed away in June of 2011 but left a strong recommendation for Calcatera to take charge of the Arkansas Tech men's golf program. The Arkansas Tech men's golf program host the Dave Falconer memorial tournament each year in honor of the former coach Falconer as a tribute to coach Falconer and a fundraiser for the program. By 2011, Calcatera was hired on as the Arkansas Tech men's golf coach. His success came early and quickly as he was named the Great American Conference Coach of the Year in his first two seasons. In his first season, the team finished GAC runner-up with a four-player team stroke average of 297.4. He coached the GAC Player of the Year in Rowdy Garrett in his first season while winning tournaments at the Harding Bison Invitational (9/13/11), Midwestern State Invitational (3/20/12), and the Mulerider Invitational (4/4/12), and finishing runner-ups in two other tournaments. Calcatera coached four All-GAC performers, including an NCAA Regional participant in Garrett. In his second season as coach of the Wonder Boys, Calcatera led the Wonder Boys to the team's first conference championship since 2004 by winning the GAC Championship in Hot Springs, Arkansas by one stroke on April 16th, 2013. The 2012-13 team was highlighted by the 2013 Freshman of the Year in Brian Belz who took individual medalist at the conference championship. Belz also made the All-GAC first team while Graham Rucker made the All-GAC second team to become the fifth and sixth All-GAC performers in just two years for Calcatera. The team was selected to compete in the NCAA Central/Midwest Super Regional on May 8th, 2013 and came up with a 13th place finish.  The 2013-14 Wonder Boys finished in the top five in nine of 11 events, capturing a team crown at the First Federal Bank Invitational. Alex Mahlik captured the individual tournament crown in that event after firing rounds of 69 and 73 to finish -2 for the event. A third-place finish in the GAC championships led the Wonder Boys into yet another appearance in the NCAA Central/Midwest Super Regional. Rowdy Garrett and Mahlik both earned first team all-GAC honors while Belz and Jason Purdy earned honorable mention selections. 2014-15 saw the Wonder Boys spent the majority of the season nationally-ranked and concluded the season with a berth in the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional. The Wonder Boys finished third at the GAC Championships, and once again advanced to the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional. Brian Belz, Alex Mahlik, and Austin Smith all picked up second-team all-GAC honors as Tech finished sixth or better in nine of 11 events, and posting four top-three finishes.  Calcatera is from Lufkin, Texas and is married to the former Ashley Duvall of Russellville, Arkansas. The couple resides in Dover, Arkansas. For Luke Calcatera, mediocrity is not an option.

Lowell Stephens enters his first year as head men's and women's golf coach at Arkansas Tech after spending the last three seasons as the head men’s golf coach at Hesston College. Prior to that, Stephens had two seasons as a graduate assistant with the nationally-prominent University of Indianapolis men’s golf program.   In his first collegiate head coaching role, Stephens was instrumental in the rapid improvement of the Hesston men’s program. In just his first year, Stephens and his team were recipients of the 2022 Mark Laesch Award as the program with the most improved score from one year to the next. The total stroke improvement under Stephens that year was 26.63.   Year two under Stephens saw Hesston become nationally-ranked and narrowly miss out on qualifying for the national championship tournament as a team. Stephens did, however, have an individual qualify for nationals and finish T30 out of a field of 119 golfers. At the conclusion of that season, Stephens and the program were once more recipients of the Mark Laesch Award, this time dropping another 21.45 strokes from their team average as the finished year with a 308.59 stroke average.   This past year, Stephens continued to build up the Hesston program as they once more improved their team stroke average and ended with a 303.5 stroke average. His team also broke through to the first national championship appearance in program history.   At nationals, Stephens’ men’s team finished eighth out of 22 teams and set a new program record for lowest round with a 293 (+5) in the second round. Stephens would have two players be earn All-American honors with Bradin Stahl being a second team honoree and Mason White garnering first team recognition.   In his time at UIndy, Stephens was under the guidance of legendary head coach Brent Nicoson, who as the coach of both the Greyhound men's and women's golf programs won a combined 15 GLVC Coach of the Year honors, 16 conference titles, 10 regional crowns and three national championships.   The first season at UIndy for Stephens was in the COVID-shortened 2019-2020 season. Assisting with the men’s program, Stephens helped guide the Greyhounds to a pair of tournament wins and a runner-up finish before the abrupt end to the season.   The following season saw Stephens help lead the Greyhounds to a dominating season in which the men won four tournaments overall and did not finish lower than third in any of the nine tournaments played. In postseason play, Stephens and the Greyhounds finished runner-up in the GLVC and region tournaments before finishing first in stroke play at the National Championships. Stephens also had a hand in mentoring the national champion individual medalist, Keegan Bronnenberg, throughout that tournament that year   The Greyhounds would go on to advance to the semifinals of medal match play, but had their run unceremoniously ended via the second medal match tiebreaker. Coincidentally, had UIndy been on the other side of that tiebreaker, Stephens and the Greyhounds would have squared off with Arkansas Tech, who went on to win the 2021 DII National Championship.   Before he got into the coaching ranks, Stephens was a four-year letterman at Central Christian College of Kansas in McPherson, Kan. A four-year member of the program, Stephens served as team captain his senior season. Competing in every tournament during his time at CCCK, Stephens was individual medalist at a tournament in 2017 and would qualify to participate in the 2018 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Championship Tournament.   A native of Arlington, Texas, Stephens is married to the former Vanessa Warner. The couple have a five-month-old son, Warner.