All-American, captain, competitor, and leader. These words have been used to describe senior golfer Caleb Harms.

Two years removed from being named a Junior College All-American while at Southeast Community College in Beatrice, Neb., Harms looks to add more to his résumé, on and off the course.

Harms would like to post low scores and see the Saluki golf team improve on its conference play last spring. SIU is one of five Missouri Valley Conference teams to have never captured a conference title and Harms said he hopes to change that.

Harms said his goals for the season are to do more than just hit the ball well and sink putts.

“I want to get on the all-conference team and I want to see the team get a conference championship,” Harms said. “Maybe more importantly, I want to set a good example for the juniors and sophomores under me, show them how to go about the game and hopefully see them be successful.”

As one of just two seniors on the team, Harms said he knows his job being a leader for the young team is just as important off the course as it is on.

The team is coming off of a positive fall season where they had three top-five finishes.

Harms said he is not focusing on the negatives, but is excited about this opportunity as a leader. He plans to use his post-season success garnered while at the junior college level to mentor his younger teammates.

“I set up work outs, stuff like that, and make sure no one’s slacking off. We take it pretty seriously,” Harms said. “Guys are always asking about courses since I have played them all. I try to help them anyway I can.”

Coach Leroy Newton, now in his 18th season as the men’s golf coach, said Harms has every trait needed to be an example for the other players.

“He is the captain for a reason,” Newton said. “He is the team leader and he is a hard working kid that keeps everything together as far as all other nine kids.”

Although Harms fluctuates as the second, third or fourth golfer on the team, he had his coach’s trust to be chosen as the captain.

“He’s great with the other kids, they all respect him, they all listen to him and he’s got the golf game to back it up,” Newton said.

While golfing at Southeast Community College, Harms played at Indiana National Golf Club for the NJCAA Division II National Championship.

After Harms’ impressive play, his coach at SCC, Bill Campbell, gave Newton a call.

“We organized a visit and fell in love with [Caleb] and his parents and what he was saying,” Newton said. “He came across as a good hardworking kid who wanted a chance to play Division I. He’s proved himself as one, too. He’s been a great leader for this team.”

Freshman golfer Charles Hawn said it would be difficult to replace a leader like Harms.

“He’s a great captain, and is always there for you if you need anything,” Hawn said. “He is the one who lets us know about practices and what needs to be done. He has a great attitude about everything. If things (on the course) aren’t going his way, he finds a way to grind out a good score.”

It is not known who will be the next captain of the golf team but according to Newton, they will still play a big role on the team.

Harms said he would not only miss being a part of the team but the Carbondale community as well.

“Being a student-athlete at this school is cool,” Harms said. “There’s a lot of history here. I enjoy Carbondale, hanging out with teammates and buddies.”

Newton said he would miss Harms not just as a golfer, but also as a person.

“I’ll miss his friendship,” Newton said. “He relieves a lot of my anxiety handling the team, because I don’t have to worry about the kids as much. He’s very truthful, very level headed, very competitive. I’ll miss all those traits.”

Harms will tee off his final season as a Saluki golfer Feb., 16 in Philadelphia, Miss.

Tyler Davis can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @tdavis_de on Twitter, 536-3311 ext. 269.