It's business as usual for the UNC Wilmington men's golf team as they prepare for their next run at dominance within the CAA conference.

However, after winning the conference championship for the second year in a row and advancing to the NCAA tournament for the sixth time in school history this past spring, the Seahawks are looking to push themselves even further this year.

"We're excited to get everybody back on campus," said head coach Matthew Clark. "Being a fall and spring sport, anytime that we're not competing, I'm not the same person. It'll be a fun year in that we're returning seven of eight guys from last year's roster. It's nice to have that many returners. We're really looking forward to the year."

With the majority of last year's NCAA regional team returning, the expectation within the team is to advance even further in this year's tournament.

"Age is a great thing, because it gives you the opportunity to make decisions," said Clark. "The decisions the team makes, there will have to be consequences, good and bad. If they make good decisions this year, the consequence could be that we're playing in the NCAA finals. If they make bad decisions, this could go downhill."

Two Seahawks earned First-Team All-CAA honors for their play last season.

Reigning CAA Player of the Year Thomas Bass star the year as the only senior on the team. Bass finished with four top-10 finishes last season and a 73.2 stroke average, tying him with junior Payne McLeod for first on the team. McLeod, the 2010-2011 CAA Rookie of the Year returns after being a major cog in the Seahawks' conference championship last year. His best finish of the year was in a tie for eighth at the CAA Championship.

Led by five upperclassmen on the eight-man squad, Clark is confident his team has the drive to succeed this year.

"Every team is only as good as they are when they're away from the coach," said Clark. "A lot of times, when we control the practice, they're going to practice really hard. They're going to do all the right things, but it's how hard they work when nobody is looking. It's how many extra shots are they hitting when nobody is around. Whether it's putting, chipping, something their struggling with. Are they willing to do that? I think they are. It's also exciting to see that, because I think that's what's going to be the difference in whether the team reaches all of its goals they want to or if they reach just a little underneath that."

The Seahawks begin play this weekend at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate. But, while they're not looking past the competition in front of them, Coach Clark and the team already know where they want to be at the end of the year.

"When May rolls around, I want us to be coming back from regionals, ready to pack our bags and head to the finals," said Clark. "This year the finals are in Atlanta, Georgia, and that's our goal, to work hard all the way through the finish line. It's easy for a lot of people, when the semester ends so much earlier and all of their friends are going elsewhere, and here I am talking about keeping them on campus for another month. It's a foreign concept for a lot of college students but I think this group understands that this year the season ends in Atlanta, Georgia, nowhere else."

For most college athletes, their last year is their final chance to make history for their program. UNC Wilmington senior men's soccer player Thomas Driver is looking for another chance to be part of a history making team.

"I was here when we won the first and only conference championship and our first NCAA tournament berth," Driver said, "I would like to get back to that and have that as a legacy: making this program a winning one."

Being one of only four seniors on the squad and also being responsible for scoring goals as a forward, the business marketing major feels that there is a sense of leadership that must be made both on and off the field.

"Being a veteran, you need to show leadership and show the younger guys what's going on and how the program is," said Driver.

Last season was an unfortunate one for the Seahawks. They finished the season with a record of four wins, 12 losses, and two ties. They did not win a single game on the road.

"I don't think being away was the main reason we lost those games. It was just our team dynamic and our team chemistry," Driver said. "We didn't really mesh well as a whole last year, but I think this year it's going to be a lot more positive, so things should turn around."

Another reason why the Seahawks lost so many games was because they were outscored in the second half after becoming worn down by the game, something Driver believes the Seahawks have already improved upon.

"We added some size on defense and hopefully that will help," he said. "Most of our goals were given up in the penalty box and that's how we've changed from last season so we can start winning in the box."

The 22 year-old from Greensboro, NC was one of only four players on the team to start and play in all 18 games of the 2011 season. Driver scored three goals and had two assists last year, but he hopes to be even better this season as he plans to go all out for his final year at UNCW.

"I would like to have a great year this season and possibly play professionally afterwards. We'll see if there's something at the next level for me."

The next UNCW home game will be Friday September 14^thagainst Saint Mary's at 7 p.m.for the start of the Hilton Garden Inn Classic. The Hilton Classic is UNCW's own tournament that they host every year.

"It's something for us to look forward to and compete, because we want to win our own tournament," Driver said.