Golfer Nick Bellush chooses apartment living and Purdue Fort Wayne
Apartment living appealed to South golfer Nick Bellush.
The senior first took a visit to Taylor. He liked it there, he said, but the coach left and the dorm situation wasn't ideal.
He then turned his attention to IUPUI and then Purdue Fort Wayne, and then it all clicked. Bellush will be a Mastodon next fall, accepting an academic and athletic scholarship offer from the Horizon League school and head coach Billy King.
"I love the situation there," Bellush said. "The (home) golf course is really cool (Pine Valley Country Club) and I know the other two recruits in my class and that was a big thing. We're looking good for my freshman year.
"And there were no dorms. I'll stay in an apartment. I met a couple of my (future) teammates and they're good people so overall, it was a good fit. It's a school where I'll have to work hard to play there, but there isn't a zero chance. As long as I work hard, I'll give myself a good future there."
As a junior, he averaged a 76 and tied for fourth at sectional, finished fifth at regional and 58th at state as the Panthers ended up sixth. He's one of three starters back who will give it another go this spring.
"Adding Nick is a huge positive for our program," King said in a school press release. "His success in the classroom and on the course fits well with an already strong culture. We are blessed to welcome him and his family to our Mastodon family."
When Bellush, who plans to study something in the field of business or accounting, began his college search, the fact King responded so quickly was a good sign.
"I emailed him and a lot of other coaches and he responded within a day," Bellush said. "That was cool. It was the first Division I school to reach out to me and I knew they were pretty good."
Bellush gave his verbal commitment last summer and signed the papers this fall.
"I played baseball up to eighth grade and started playing golf in seventh grade and started taking it serious in eighth grade," Bellush said. "When I was in ninth grade, I started thinking about going to play in college. I had to do a lot of work, but it's paid off even though the process doesn't end there."
Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com or 812-331-4381 and follow on Twitter @JimGordillo.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Nick Bellush accepts scholarship offer to golf at Purdue Fort Wayne
