Athlete Spotlight: Trevor Xenos

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications

Salem, Mass.- This week our athlete spotlight features men's golfer Trevor Xenos from Holden, Mass. Xenos earned a third place finish recently at the Lane Group Las Vegas Open in Boulder City, Nevada. 

Xenos, who is a marketing major spoke about his experience last week when the team traveled to Nevada. "Playing golf in Nevada is different, you can be more aggressive with the desert terrain and the ball travels farther than it does here in Massachusetts."  The Holden native was surprised by his top-three finish, where he shot a tournament-low 68 on the second day of the tournament. "I was surprised. I've been a middle of the pack guy all year at every tournament, and for me to step up and play well when I needed to was surprising, seeing as how I had not broken 75 all year."

He talked about how the first two days went during the tournament. "The first day went well because I didn't make any double bogies, and the second day went well because I knew that I could go under par at this course. I just needed to limit bogies. I knew I would make a lot of birdies and I just happened to piece it together and eliminate bogies."

The junior spoke about some of the big names schools that the Vikings faced when they were in Nevada. "Transylvania (University) and Maryville (College) had deep lineups and great players. Playing against those schools was good for me because I felt like I played up to their level and they made me better."

Xenos talked about how the team turned the page after a disappointing third-place finish at the MASCAC Tournament the weekend propr. "We sat back and realized that we had the privilege to go to beautiful Las Vegas to play golf, so all the guys put it behind them and knew we wanted to make the most of the opportunity." 

He mentioned his go-to meal before a match. "Dunkin Donuts, bacon egg and cheese with a Boston crème donut." Xenos, who started playing golf when he was 13 years old, spoke about a few of his idols. "Two idols of mine are my father and Tiger Woods. My father raised me to be the person I am and Tiger Woods inspired me to work on my golf swing and better my game."

An interesting fact about him that we didn't know was that he played baseball his freshman year at Salem State.  He talked about a professional player he wants to see. "I want to see Viktor Hovland because it fun to watch him swing a club," while his brother was the one who inspired him to play when he was in high school. He talked about his off-season routine. "Light workout routines and just hitting balls all year round," and during the season, "Practice prepares me for the matches, so I try my best to keep the same thoughts and ideas between practice and match time." 

He mentioned two of his friends that impacted him. "My friends Matthew Verrier and Mathew Claussen play a lot of golf with me, and they are the reason I get better every single day."  His most memorable moment as a Viking. "Teeing it up at Taconic for the first time is my most memorable moment."

He expressed what the word 'Viking' means to him. "Being a Viking means hitting every shot with a purpose. Representing Salem State is a privilege and to do so all the way out in Nevada was an honor."