Fate, coincidence or just sheer luck ‘ whatever it was that brought Aaron Ungvarsky to Binghamton, you won’t catch Nick Lasky and the Bearcat golf team complaining.

Born in Indiana, the senior has two PGA tour pros in his family and has moved through St. Louis and New York after spending his high school years in the suburbs of Boston. While dominating high school golf and solidifying his resume with successful showings at junior and state events, he set his eyes on NOVA Southeastern University, near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after his memorable vacation there during spring break.

So how did he end up in ice-cold Binghamton?

‘I hung out with the guys on the [NOVA Southeastern] golf team, played golf and went to Ft. Lauderdale Beach every day,’ Ungvarsky said. ‘They were already initiating me and I wasn’t even in yet, and I told my dad this is where I want to be for four years.’

Head coach Phil Henry saw Ungvarsky play and immediately handed him a letter of intent, which entailed a 70 percent scholarship already allotted and which he immediately signed. With his good grades, and additional scholarships therefrom, he ended with a full ride to NOVA.

However, as Ungvarsky began freshman year, things took a real negative turn, and the fun he had over spring break turned into a distant memory.

‘As soon as the season started golf became real cutthroat, and school was way too easy,’ Ungvarsky said. ‘Making it into the business school was like tripping over your shoelaces. Not that I wanted school to be challenging, but I felt if I stayed there for four years I wouldn’t really know much, and if golf didn’t work out and I had to fall back on something else, that education wasn’t what I was looking for.’

At the beginning of the spring semester, Ungvarsky unveiled his feelings to his new coach Duke Donahue, and asked for a letter of release. According to NCAA rules, an athlete needs a letter of release before looking to transfer anywhere else.

‘It was nerve-wracking going to a coach who thinks you’re loyal to him and saying that,’ Ungvarsky said. ‘But coach was great about it and fully understood my situation.’

Ungvarsky’s grandfather ‘ the same man who introduced him to golf ‘ is the one who introduced him to Binghamton.

‘I felt very lost, and I wanted a school that had a great golf program,’ Ungvarsky said. His parents were from Horseheads, just off Route 17, and his grandpa knew then-Binghamton coach John Affleck very well and talked to him on Ungvarsky’s behalf.

‘My first reaction was, ‘Where the hell is Binghamton?’ Ungvarsky said. ‘You mean that brick thing that’s like in a hill in the middle of nowhere? But then I checked it out online, and saw that their business school ranked top 10 in the country and that the golf team was incredible, winning all these tournaments.’

It was Affleck’s last year as coach, and he told the incoming coach Nick Lasky about Ungvarsky; Lasky admitted that he knew nothing about Ungvarsky, but was willing to take a look at him in tryouts. Needless to say, the coach liked what he saw.

Ungvarsky played in two tournaments his first year. He finished third out of 70 golfers in his first but choked under the pressure in his second, which kept him on the bench for the remainder of the year.

‘I got no scholarship from Binghamton my first year, but I knew my ability and I was playing very well, but the lineup was so good I got locked out my first year,’ he said. ‘The rule was if you play well you keep your spot, and if you don’t you lose it. Since I was a freshman, I was on the chopping block to begin with and my choke didn’t help matters.’

But three years later, after being a major part of the success of the golf team, Ungvarsky credits his teammates for his level of play and the fun he has at college.

‘I can’t imagine a better team of guys, they really are my best friends,’ Ungvarsky said. ‘We all help each other out, and we’re closer than brothers, even Ryan Gabel, who can be a little weird sometimes. Coach Affleck left a legacy of a team behind, and coach Lasky just continued with that. You gotta play up to your ability and perform consistently, but it’s never cutthroat or to the point where it’s a do-or-die situation.’

Among PGA tour players in Ungvarsky’s family is his uncle on his mother’s side, Joey Sindelar, one of the most consistent players on tour with more than 80 top-10 finishes in his career. His best finish in a major was a tie for sixth at the 1992 United States Open, and he has seven career PGA tour wins.

Mike Hulbert, second cousin on Ungvarsky’s father’s side, is also on the PGA tour and a sportscaster. He has three wins on tour, including a playoff win over runner-up Sindelar in 1986. He has earned more than $4.2 million in golf earnings with more than 45 top-10 finishes in his career. His best finish in a major championship was also a tie for sixth at the 1992 United States Open. He now works as a sports broadcaster for USA Network and ESPN.

Ungvarsky seems ready to take a shot at the PGA tour himself after he graduates. Seeing how much work his relatives put into their careers, he plans to work extra hard for two to five years in an effort to achieve his lifelong dream, but remains realistic about the level of his current golf game.

‘I want to go pro, but it’s extremely competitive and my game is not near the level it needs to be at for it,’ he said. ‘But I have strong confidence in my ability heading into the future.’