After a breakout senior season on the ice and a second consecutive Minnesota Class A state title in boys hockey, Hermantown senior Dylan Kolquist could have extended his hockey career at the junior level next fall.
He won't. Instead, Kolquist will take the family business - golf - to Minnesota State-Mankato, where he'll also study finance.
"They have a really good business school," Kolquist said. "I really love the coach there (Bryant Black). He's really nice, cares about the kids a lot. A lot of the kids who play on that team are pretty cool."
As excited as Kolquist is about becoming a Maverick, he's even more enthusiastic about this spring and what the Hermantown boys golf team could accomplish. The Hawks return four of the six golfers who led the team to a tie for third a year ago at the Class AA state meet at Ridges at Sand Creek golf course in Jordan, Minn.
Kolquist said this year's team has a good chance of getting back considering it has more depth than the 2016 squad that finished 25 strokes back of state champion Blake.
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"We're very deep," Kolquist said. "Any one of these guys can be a top-four scorer, pretty good scores, too."
Kolquist finished in a tie for eighth in the state meet a year ago after shooting 4-over the first day and 1-over the next to finish at 149 - 15 strokes off the lead. He followed that with a pair of seventh-place finishes at summer junior events.
Kolquist finished five strokes out of first at 1-under at the Minnesota Junior Boys State Championship in July at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Willmar, Minn. Then in August, he finished seven strokes back at 7-over at the Minnesota Junior PGA Players' Tour Tournament of Champions at Grand View Lodge in Brainerd.
The state high school meet really set the tone a year ago, Kolquist said.
"It really helped me a lot. It set my scale of where I knew I could play," he said. "I kept building on that and striving."
Kolquist said the strongest aspect of his golf game lately has been his wedge play. He said he's hitting the green anytime he's within 50-110 yards of the pin.
Those wedge shots set up what Hermantown golf coach Ted Perala believes is Kolquist's No. 1 strength: putting. Anything inside of 8 feet, Kolquist is going to make 80 percent of the time, his coach said, thanks to the golfer's mental strength.
"He doesn't let things outwardly rattle him. Internally he'll get a bit rattled, but outwardly he won't show it," Perala said. "It's his mental capacity to not let other things bother him, where as other kids might get rattled if they had a bad shot from a noise behind them or something else. He has the ability to block that out."
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Kolquist's mental toughness on the golf course comes from his golf-loving family.
His uncle, Reed, is a local golf legend with more than 30 wins between the Reidar Lund Skyline Memorial at Enger Park, Lakeview Medal at Lester Park, Northland Invitational, Arrowhead Invitational at Ridgeview, Nemadji Invitational and Cloquet Invitational.
Dylan Kolquist plans to start playing those tournaments this summer now that he's 18. He'll likely be competing against not only Uncle Reed, but his older cousin, Alex (Reed's son), at those events.
Dylan Kolquist said all of his family members push him on the course, but his grandfather, Cliff, has been the biggest influence on his golf career. That's who first put a club in his hand when he was 4, and that's who gave him the best advice on the links.
"He always tells me after a round, either good or bad," Dylan recalls, "he says, 'Focus on the next one.' "
PREP NEWSMAKER: Dylan Kolquist
Prep status: Hermantown senior
Age: 18
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Sports: Golf, hockey
GPA: 3.6
Family: Brad (father); Nina (mother); Tyler and Austin (older brothers)
Pets: Sydney (dog)
Post-high school plans: Play college golf and study finance at Minnesota State-Mankato
Face-to-face with Dylan Kolquist
If I could meet one person - dead or alive - who would it be? Arnold Palmer
My ideal vacation: Tour Europe
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The toughest athlete I've competed against: Hermantown's Dylan Samberg (in golf and hockey)
If I had a million dollars, I would: Buy a new car
Favorite restaurant: Zorbaz
Favorite book: "Hunger Games"
Favorite movie: "Happy Gilmore"
Favorite golf course: Ridges at Sand Creek
Favorite hole from any course: No. 7 at Ridgeview Country Club
If I could play 18 holes with just one club: 6-iron
