Cody McManus, a senior on the men's golf team, won the WCC title as a sophomore and has a 74.12 scoring average in his three years. As he begins his last season with Pepperdine, he shared his thoughts on his time here and how he is looking to finish strong:

Q: Describe to me your typical day as a golfer here at Pepperdine.

A: Usually we have workouts in the morning from 6:15 a.m., and have class from 8 a.m. to noon. Then we grab a quick lunch, and head to the golf course by 1:15 p.m. Some golfers decide to stay until 6 at night, and grab some dinner while there. Since we're students who are athletes, we have to come back and do some homework before we go to bed. It's a long day, but it is rewarding, and makes everything worth it. I enjoy it, because in the process we are hanging out with a really cool group of guys who are after the same goal in life.

Q: What is your favorite thing about golf? What attracted you to play golf?

A: What attracted me to golf was the difficulty of the game, and how many different aspects there are.Golf provides the ability to meet new people, since you can play with anyone regardless of their ability. Golf is an amazing sport with rich history.

Q: Your senior season is about to start. How have you prepared for your last season?

A: I have prepared myself to be less selfish and to make myself more of a resource for my teammates. I wanted to move away from result-oriented goals, such as 'I want to win this tournament,' but focus on being a better teammate. We have a really good group of guys and every freshman group that came after me has grown so much. I want to be able to help my teammates as much as possible and hand down my knowledge of golf. I want to see the team do well as a whole. The way I've prepared is the mindset of thinking that I am going to help these guys as much as I can to get acclimated to our coaches, because it is a hugely different experience from high school golf to the collegiate level. For the guys that are already adapted to the team, I help them to be more involved to the team and to be the best they can be.

Q: How are the new additions to the team, and how is the team chemistry?

A: I am surprised how talented they are. Our coach has done a really amazing job at recruiting our new golfers ever since he has been at Pepperdine. The guys are super talented,and they are good guys overall. I am content with how they are into golf, and willing to put so much work towards our common goal. They came in ready to play, to put energy into the sport and to be part of our team. I think we have very high expectations of the team, but it is not outlandish, since I believe in the level our golfers bring to the team.

Q: When you look back at past seasons at Pepperdine, what memory means the most to you?  

A: I have lots of moments that I would love to look back on, but the growth of the team as a whole since my freshman year means a lot to me. We started as a team that was ranked outside of the top 100, and our program is now nationally recognized. I really appreciate seeing the progression of our team each year, Coach Beard's progression each year, and seeing the guys working toward the same thing.

Q: If you could go back, what would you tell your freshman self?

A: I have a ton of advice for my freshman self. I was an awful student. I was terrible. I would try to take shortcuts in whatever I could. I always had a feeling that I was alone in this. A big piece of advice I would tell myself is that there are so many resources and there are so many people willing to help you here at Pepperdine.If you give them the opportunity to help you, then they go out of their way to help you do better in what you are going through. There are so many people who are willing to support you. That was the biggest struggle that I had to overcome, and ever since, I have avoided taking shortcuts. That's never a good idea. I learned to take the necessary steps.

Q: How have Pepperdine and the golf team influenced you so far?

A: They taught me how to care for one another. High school golf was never taken seriously, and it's not where you are recruited professionally. Once you get put into a team aspect, it's really not about yourself anymore, and it's not individualized. You're on a team, and you are going to win and lose as a team. You share those moments and memories with each other, and I learned that it's better to share the moment with other people. I've grown to be more open with people and not to be independent. This was a big lesson for me and it made me realize that I should be a helpful teammate as others have been for me. You're here to learn, and you are here to teach.

Q: What are your plans after you graduate? In five years, where do you see yourself?

A: I want to follow my passion. I have a couple of passions outside of golf that I have always wanted to pursue. I am very excited to move on to the real world. Golf has been dominating my life for 12 years, and I am thrilled to explore my other passions.