Nito Ramos' Olivet Homecoming

By Evan Murphy

Connor Bergeon and Brady Applegate at practice. Picture by Evan Murphy.

OLIVET, Mich. - A new day has dawned for The University of Olivet (UO) Comets men’s and women’s golf teams. After 10 years of Bill Maas at the helm for the Comets, new coach Nito Ramos tees up to set this season in line for improving results. Securing 9th place in the Lou Collins Memorial Tournament at Bedford Valley Country Club (Battle Creek, Mich.) and following that up with a 9th place in the Lourdes (Ohio) Fall Invitational at Legacy Golf Club (Ottawa Lake, Mich.), Ramos has already shown his stripes.

According to The University of Olivet Athletics website, before coming to UO Ramos spent 27 years in Clinton Community Schools (CCS) from 1999-2025. In that time, he was a teacher, as well as the boys varsity golf coach for nine years (2016-24) and the varsity girls golf coach for four years (2021-24). Under Ramos, the Clinton boys golf team made it to the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) team finals four different times and won five league titles.

Hailing from Marshall, Ramos currently lives in Adrian with his wife, Leanne. They have three kids, two that attend UO with one playing on the golf team, Kyliegh, and another on the softball team, Breanna. Nito Ramos’ father, John, is a member of the Comet family after coaching the softball team from 1984 to 1985 before returning as an assistant baseball coach in the early 2000s. John Ramos was also the interim head coach for the 2006 season. Nito Ramos was even a bat boy for his father.

Ramos takes the helm after being named as the coach at Siena Heights University on January 30, 2025, but after it was announced that Siena would be closing, he kept his eyes open for new opportunities.

“What I’m most excited for is getting to know the squad. And watching these kids work hard to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves and for the team,” Ramos said.

Approaching this season with new leadership, it’s clear to the team and to the UO family that Ramos is excited to get to work. Members of the men’s golf team have expressed an attitude not too dissimilar.

Sophomore Connor Bergeon, from Casco, finished his three rounds in the fall season of 2024 with an 85.0 average score and a low score of 83 before requiring surgery on his torn UCL and sitting out in the spring season of 2025. However, in his four rounds in the fall season of 2025, he managed to finish with an 85.0 stroke average and a low score of 79.

“This season is gonna be fun. Not just because we love the sport we play, but because most of the guys are junior and sophomore returners. So, we are all competing to make the team better,” Bergeon said. “When we get firing on all ends, we know that we can compete with the other teams in the MIAA. And I think we proved that at the Legacy tournament."

The Lourdes Fall Golf Invitational at The Legacy Golf Course in Ottawa Lake was where UO toppled several teams such as Cleary, Aquinas, University of Michigan Dearborn and Lawrence Tech, scoring 9th place out of 20 different teams.

Junior Brady Applegate, from Jerome, has been a driving force in the team's success with a stroke average of 80.8 through 43 different rounds over the 2023-25 seasons, setting his scoring apart from some of his team.

“Though there are tough teams in our conference like Hope and Trine, our best game is as good as anybody else’s in the conference if we all execute," Applegate said.

With this school year coming into full swing, expectations follow closely behind. As one of the returners, it is clear that Applegate has a vision for how cohesion will play into this year’s results.

“I’m most excited to see if our team improves this year. The past few years have been a struggle, and we haven’t quite come together to play well as a team,” Applegate said.

A major focus for the team will be their short game and being able to scramble for pars.

“I’m trying to learn from the players first, and see what they’re comfortable with,” Ramos said.

Three points that he says he is trying to impress upon the team are: belief, work and trying new things that might be uncomfortable. While pushing expectations further and further as the season goes on, and trying new and uncomfortable golf shots, one of Ramos’ main focuses is that his team feels like a family.

“Family first. We support each other," Ramos said.

With new leadership guiding the way, the energy around this season is high. See results from the team's fall season at olivetcomets.com