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Jerald Brownell has always been an avid athlete. 

In high school, Brownell started as a soccer and basketball player. In his junior year, he decided to go out for the golf team after his father took him golfing that previous summer. Ironically enough, the sport he adopted the latest would become his main one. 

Brownell was one of the first class of golfers to sign with the Montcalm Community College Centurions. However, as an athlete in a growing athletic program, Brownell found himself wearing many different uniforms throughout his two years at MCC. 

Brownell was approached to also be a member of the men’s cross country team as well as the men’s bowling team at MCC. When asked, Brownell said he simply couldn’t turn down the opportunity. 

“I wanted to tell myself that I’m still young and now is the time when I can play sports for free and I can talk to and meet other people in my college and just build new relationships,” Brownell said. “You never know, maybe these relationships could help me with finding a job. Having friends is also very important to the values I have in life.” 

Though he was juggling his classes and his three sports, Brownell’s golf game improved at a rate that surprised him during his time at MCC. Aiming to shoot scores in the mid-80s as a high schooler, Brownell often found himself shooting rounds in the 70s as a Centurion. His work ethic and routine changed and, with a new perspective from men’s golf coach Doug Harkema, Brownell became one of the Centurions’ top golfers. 

“Going to MCC, I just learned how to play and I have a coach that really invested in me and told me what to practice and how to practice,” Brownell said. “The eagerness to go out and practice has been crucial because we didn’t really all practice together as a team — we might do that once every two to three months. The thing that really helped drop my scores was I wanted to be better than the next guy on my team. It really pushed me and it pushed my other teammates to think the same. If we have teammates on the same page, we’re going to get better because we don’t want to lose to each other.” 

After a strong start to his sophomore season in the fall, Brownell realized he might have what it takes to continue golfing at a four-year university. He started to look at scores for nearby schools and thought it would be worth reaching out to a few to see if he could make the teams. Brownell would hear back from Cornerstone University and, on Dec. 12, officially signed with the Golden Eagles to be a member of their golf team this upcoming fall. It was an easy decision for Brownell, who said Cornerstone checked a lot of his boxes. 

“The biggest value for me is my faith,” Brownell said. “I didn’t look at bigger schools either because, at Montcalm Community College, it’s really nice to have a smaller group of people at your college.” 

Signing with Cornerstone was special for Brownell as it allowed him to reflect on his golf journey at a deeper level. There were times where his confidence waned but the support he received from his golf team and his peers really gave him a boost that he is incredibly thankful for. 

“I had wonderful people who believed in me when I didn’t really have too much faith in myself,” Brownell said. “That really means a lot to a person — when you don’t believe in yourself, you’re not going to be able to get things done. When you have people who you’re surrounded with who will push you to the limit, like my teammates, you can do wonders with what you want to accomplish in life.  

“That’s a big thing I learned from golf — no matter what you feel like, it’s always great to have people around you who believe in you because they’re there to push you,” he added. “The group of people I’m with at MCC, it’s like, ‘Wow, they’re here to make me better, not try to put me down.’” 

Consistency has been key for Brownell and his growth. Chipping and putting whenever he can, getting as much golfing in as he can during his little down time has helped him and the Centurions grow into a budding force in the MCCAA. After ending their last spring and fall seasons strong, the Centurions are looking forward to what should be a prolific spring season ahead. 

“We really do have high expectations,” Brownell said. “We can see where we are at in the conference and we know that we can’t stop there. Last year, we tied GRCC, who I think won 13 regionals in a row. As a team, being in our first year, we tied that team. Coming in this year, we knew we were better than last year.” 

Brownell plans to make the most of his final semester at MCC, attending all of the basketball games he can — a particularly great highlight of his time as a Centurion. 

“Just seeing other kids like me compete at the sport that they really love is really fun to see,” he said. “I just want to be there to support them, too, because I know they would be there supporting me in my sport and cheering me on to be my best. The professors are really nice, too, and they’re always rooting for me. Even when I miss a class, they’re always reaching out trying to figure out the things I can do to make up work.” 

Brownell plans to pursue a degree in the business field at Cornerstone University.