Oswego East Co-Student Athlete of the Week

Golf is one of the most frustrating and rewarding sports an athlete can choose to play. Fractions of inches can mean the difference between the golf shot one intended to hit, and slicing a ball into someone’s backyard. In order to golf competitively, an athlete must be of strong mind and body to compete at a high level. Senior Max Behnke’s mental toughness, and his ability to lead those around him, is why he is this week’s Oswego East Co-Athlete of the week.

Max began his journey into golf at the young age of 6, harnessing his skills and earning a spot on the varsity in only his sophomore year. In his varsity career, Max qualified for sectionals and was chosen as a member of the all-conference team as a junior. He was also elected this year’s co-captain of the varsity team.

What makes Max so special are his mental toughness, approach to the game, and ability to lead. His mother, Kaytie Behnke, had this to say, “Max is determined to succeed and I feel that is one of his biggest strengths.” She continued on by saying, “His sheer determination drives him to do well in everything he does. Max is also very humble. He is quiet in victory and gracious in defeat.” Max’s father, Scott, echoes those sentiments by saying, “Max’s greatest strength is his confidence in his abilities. He does not hesitate or question himself, he just steps up to the ball and trusts his instincts.”

Max has shown a great deal of improvement since joining the team freshmen year. So far this year, his season average is 40.27, and Max was a medalist at the Plainfield North and Plainfield South matches. Boys head golf coach, Jim Vera, has seen Max’s leadership improve as well as his score. “Max has improved both as a golfer and a person in his four years in the program, becoming more vocal and confident each year,” said Vera. Max helps lead the charge through his consistent play and ability to bounce back from a bad shot or a bad hole. “[Max’s] leadership is valuable because most of the time golfers are on their own in competition, and his [teammates] respect what he does as a player, so they listen to what he says,” said Vera.

The golf course is not the only area of Max’s life where he excels, as he is an honor roll student who carries a 3.95 G.P.A., ranking in the top 15% of his senior class. With a 28 on the ACT, and having taken six Advanced Placement courses during his time at Oswego East, Max will have a plethora of choices to choose from for college. His future plans include a small university, perhaps Carthage, which has just designed a new science center. Max plans on majoring in chemistry, and playing golf while in college. His advanced placement chemistry teacher, Cari Carlton, anticipates a bright future for Max in the field of chemistry. “I believe that Max will experience great success…he is highly intelligent, has creative problem solving abilities, and a keen interest in the subject matter.”

Max has been a big reason why the golf program has had success in the past two years, and why their conference record currently sits at 6-1. Playing golf has been special for the Behnke family as well, with Max having played with either his younger brother Sam or his older brother Zach for two years each. Thankfully for the Oswego East family, the Behnke family can continue passing lessons learned down to younger generations through their example and hard work. Max’s advice to future Oswego East Wolves is to “Enjoy your time while in high school, and work hard.” Hopefully Max and his teammates can continue their hard work on the golf course and carry that momentum into the state tournament