Gene's Blog: Nasby inspires with his own silver-linings playbook

Jack Nasby's sophomore season at St. Thomas started out so well. Then came the gut punch in late winter.

Out of nowhere, the prospect of Florida sunshine and an elite May national competition with his St. Thomas golf teammates vanished. Nasby's first national tourney trip joined the long list of planned events erased in the Covid storm.

This wasn't the first time in Nasby's college days that he faced a serious personal challenge and had to find the silver lining. (We'll save that part of his story for later).

To his credit, just this month, Nasby found another silver lining -- as a golf organizer, rather than just as a golfer -- while he navigated a disappointing final stretch of school via distance learning.

Let's start 10 months ago, when the Edina, Minn., native broke through a crowded Tommie Men's Golf lineup to secure one of the five varsity lineup spots for last October's MIAC Championships. Nasby then seized the day in the 10-team, 54-hole conference event, shortened to two 27-hole competitions after a washed-out opening Saturday.

After an opening-round score of 77, Nasby came back to shoot 72 and 71. That let him finish tied for third place out of 50 golfers. His 54-hole total of 220 let him make All-MIAC -- one of only three sophomores or freshmen to close in the top 10.

An even bigger reward for Nasby came with St. Thomas' team crown, the program's third consecutive league team championship. That let the Purple secure a spot in the May 2020 NCAA Championships. It was supposed to be the program's seventh nationals appearance in the last nine years.

After St. Thomas' lead was cut to five strokes on the final afternoon of the MIAC meet, the Toms closed the day well and won by 14 shots over runner-up Gustavus. Nasby's final-round score of 71 tied for his collegiate best score.

One week later, St. Thomas finished a busy fall of seven competitions over seven consecutive weekends with play at the elite Golfweek tournament in Destin, Fla. The Toms placed seventh out of 18 entrants, including many of D-III's best teams.

Nasby's 74.5 stroke average this school year (15 rounds) ranked eighth best among MIAC players.

That was quite a jump from his freshman season results. Nasby's 79.3 stroke average in 2018-19 (eight rounds) was tied for ninth on his team and tied for 50th in the conference.

"Jack has certainly been one of those guys that a coach loves to have on his roster," said Tommie coach Scott Proshek. "He came to our program with some swing issues, and has worked hard at making those changes. The result has been a consistency that's helped him become one of the MIAC's top players.

"His mindset and determination to get better as an individual has helped the team succeed. And he truly loves the team aspect that we emphasize at St. Thomas. The culture of our team was very good before, but with guys like Jack, with two seasons left to play, the future looks even brighter."

Lost Opportunity

Nasby and his No. 6-ranked Tommie team were looking forward to a short spring schedule to sharpen their games in preparation for the mid-May NCAA meet in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Then the Covid-19 outbreak forced dramatic decisions that ultimately denied several Toms their first trip to the national meet.

"When I first heard the news, I immediately thought of our two seniors, Emmet Herb and Ben Kisla," Nasby explained. "They were both tremendous leaders throughout my first two years at St. Thomas, on and off of the course. I couldn't think of a more disappointing way to end your collegiate career. After such a strong fall season, it was frustrating not being able to compete in the spring or compete for a national championship at the PGA National course. But during this time, there were and continue to be bigger issues that we need to focus on other than golf."

A double major in Real Estate and Finance with a minor in data analytics, Nasby is a busy fellow. He also serves as co-President of the Tommies' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Because an upcoming summer-school business class required him to volunteer 40 hours with a non-profit group, Nasby reached out and landed an assignment locally with the Caddie U program and with the Tim Herron Prep Tour.

Besides achieving business and volunteer experience with these respected golf programs, Nasby is gaining organizing skills, too. He was tasked with helping create a "pop-up" playing opportunity in Covid-19 times for Minnesota college and elite prep players of both genders.

Over a five-week span in May and June, several one-day tournaments were created and set up around the region. The first tournaments in Hudson, Wis., and Mankato attracted between 50-75 players of both genders, mostly collegians but also some high schoolers. Individuals play when it works in their schedules -- some colleges wrapped up school in early May, while others had classes, projects then final exams lasting as late as last week.

Nasby explained that social distancing is strictly enforced on the pop-up tournaments, thanks in large part to the GolfStatus mobile app being tested by players.

"It's the wave of the future," Nasby predicted. "You use this new mobile app, and it changes the way you have traditionally kept score. Instead of using pencils and signing scorecards, you just come to the course, check in on your phone, keep your own score each hole, and check any of the course or golf rules. You do it all on your phone, all remotely using GolfStatus.

"You can play around others and keep social distancing. You finish the last hole, then input your score on the phone. There's no handshakes, you just head to the parking lot and you drive home."

Nasby credited social media "and a lot of word of mouth" in alerting Minnesota collegiate golfers to these May-June opportunities, which serve as a bridge to what's hoped will be a near normal summer of the annual Minnesota PGA competitions.

A few Tommie players have taken part. Nasby said the pop-up tour also includes at least one player from these college teams: Minnesota, Kansas, Miami of Ohio, Alabama, St. John's, Gustavus, St. Mary's, Dayton, Florida Golf Coast, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, North Dakota, South Dakota, Northern Iowa, UW-Eau Claire and Minnesota State.

Control What You Can Control

It's fitting that Nasby has helped build a "pop-up" golf series. He's had to navigate several "pop-up" challenges over the last 21 months. They started in August 2018 in the first few days of his St. Thomas career. That one involved his mother, the former Kristi Johnson, herself a Tommie graduate who was sending her oldest son to college.

"Jack was never guaranteed a spot on the team for his freshman year," Proshek said. "Within 24 hours of his mother, Kristi, dropping him off on campus at the start of tryouts, she was admitted to a local hospital Intensive Care Unit with an unknown affliction.

"Two of our captains (Miles McCarthy and Peder Larson) kept taking Jack to and from the hospital for visits while we were holding our qualifying/tryout rounds. The situation was starting to get serious, maybe even life and death. After being given an option to drop out of tryouts, Jack forged ahead."

"My mom suddenly felt under the weather and did not look or act like her normal self," Nasby said. "She felt very fatigued. After an urgent care visit and a few ER visits, they finally admitted her into Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina. They initially were unable to diagnose what was happening to her.

"The night before our first round of golf tryouts, I got a call from my dad (Tim) saying my mom is being rushed to the University of Minnesota hospital to be admitted into the ICU. She was diagnosed with West Nile myelitis and encephalitis. She had contracted about the worst two possible strains of West Nile, and her spinal cord and her brain were both being attacked. She spent 18 days in the hospital, then had three months of rehab, and then it was another three months until she was back to her normal self. She contracted it from a mosquito somewhere around the Twin Cities area.

"Looking back, that was a very tough time. I was thinking about my mom all day, every day. I was unable to sleep well due to the uncertainty of her health. Let alone the fact I had just moved on to campus, was competing in tryouts for a spot on the golf team, and about to start my freshman year of college. Coach Proshek played a major part in helping me, he continued to tell me that family is more important than golf and school. He was incredibly understanding. I continue to be thankful for the relationship I have with Coach Proshek and the father-like role he played. He has inspired me to be a better person, better golfer and better student during these past two years."

"With the help of his teammates and coaches, Jack just tried to deal with the things he could control," Proshek said. "His mindset of focused determination and his kind personality best describe Jack. You could see his leadership skills blossom as time went on. I assigned him to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and he's taken that to a new level. His assistance with Tim Herron's tour has been impressive. He was also recently made a captain of the golf team. We look forward to his continued leadership as we prepare for what we hope will be our university's move to Division I athletics by fall 2021.

"Jack has two younger brothers, and we think the Nasby name will continue to help Tommie Golf as we move forward. Cole Nasby is attending as a freshman this fall, and will also have a tryout. You could not find a kinder, appreciative and supportive family."

Jack Nasby now sees the silver-lining moment presented by his mom's health scare. It's helped him learn to count his blessings.

"Times like that make you reflect on what's truly important in life," he said. "My family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches and my faith helped me navigate that turbulent time.

"Considering where I am today, I wouldn't change a thing about my past two years and my experience so far at St. Thomas."

PHOTO: Jack Nasby (center) surrounded by parents Kristi and Tim, and brothers Charlie (far left) and Cole.

Gene's Blog is a sports column penned by UST sports information director Gene McGivern. Gene is finishing his 26th season at St. Thomas and 32nd overall in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He blogs periodically on various topics regarding the Tommies, the MIAC and Division III sports.

If you have comments or questions, e-mail Gene at ejmcgivern@stthomas.edu

University of St. Thomas Athletics

Gene's Blog: Nasby inspires with his own silver-linings playbook

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