Tampa, Fla. - Despite an almost entirely new roster, the USF men’s golf team finds itself back in the postseason.

The Bulls are a young, talented team led by standout freshman Albin Bergstrom.

“He’s done a phenomenal job of playing good golf, taking care of business out there and being someone that we can really rely on,” said head coach Steve Bradley.

In his first season at USF, the Sweden native has led the team in scoring average, top-10 finishes and was named the AAC Freshman of the Year.

“You know I came here just to improve my golf game and I end up being freshman of the year so that was a big bonus,” said Bergstrom.

“You know coming in as a freshman wanting to compete and be a leader. I remember when I was a freshman I was just learning to adjust to college and everything and he’s done that very quickly and very well,” said junior golfer Kyle Flexsenhar.

Being a leader can be difficult for any athlete, especially a freshman. But Albin says leading is nothing new for him.

“I’m kind of used to it cause back home I was the leader for my home club and being a part of the Swedish national team and being a group leader.”

USF men’s golf coach Steve Bradley first saw Albin’s poise and skill on display while on a recruiting trip to Europe.

“I actually went over to Scotland a few years ago for and event called the British Boys and Albin was there playing with the Swedish national team. And after a couple of days I was really impressed with his game and the way he conducted himself.”

Albin was recruited by a handful of schools, but he eventually narrowed down his choices to Augusta University and USF before finally picking the bulls.

“I think for me, the most important thing was going somewhere I could have a social life and a golf life,” said Bergstrom. “And here at USF, in Tampa I can be with friends, I have golf and the weather is beautiful.”

With the regular season in the rearview mirror, Albin and the Bulls are looking to drive the USF men’s golf program to new heights, as they head out to Stanford their seventh straight NCAA Regional appearance.

“Our expectation is to be a top-5 team and advance to be quite honest,” said Bradley. “It’s a goal of ours and something we work towards since we stepped on campus in August and regardless if you have three freshmen, five freshmen or no freshmen, your goal at this point is to advance. And that’s certainly what we’re peaking towards and I think we have the talent to do it.”

“I think we all expect to advance, we’d be disappointed if we didn’t advance so that’s the goal for sure,” said Flexsenhar.