With seven of last season’s 10 players returning, the Citrus men’s golf team isn’t looking for a new identity, but a higher standard for the 2026 season.
Coach Julian “Trip” Horton said he knows what his team is capable of and is excited to see them take the next step.
Horton said the team just missed the cut last year, and bringing back most of the players with the addition of a few new players makes him excited for the season. Horton added that his players’ success will come with having a positive mindset.
“A positive mindset goes a long way,” Horton said.
Sophomore Javier Alvarado said he wants to create a positive mindset by enjoying the experience.
“Enjoy the moment,”Alvarado said. “Take everything in. Play good golf and enjoy the time.”
Alvarado finished 25th overall in last year’s 3C2A Southern California Regional Championships, which was good enough to qualify for alternate status at the 2025 3C2A State Championships.
Meanwhile, sophomore Cameron Vollaro has a more personal focus in mind.
“This season I want to break 80,” Vollaro said. “I couldn’t do it last year, but that is a goal I have.”
Vollaro hit the 80 mark in the first round of the season-opening at the Point Conception Invitational on Jan. 25 at La Purisima in Lompoc and is looking to take that confidence into conference play.
Vollaro also said that he has to have more situational trust in himself, referencing that last tournament would probably have gone differently if he had gone with his gut.
With a sixth-place finish out of a 16-team field to start the 2026 season at the Point Conception Invitational, the Owls look to take their strong showing into Western State Conference play, which opens Feb. 9 at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale.
Conference play concludes with the Western State Conference Championships on April 27, followed by the Southern California Championships ending May 4 and the State Championships ending May 11.
