Let us get this out of the way first, because it is usually the first question Seneca Valley High School graduate Matt Vogt gets when someone finds out he recently completed his freshman year at Butler University in Indianapolis:

Yes, Vogt, a former key contributor to some good Seneca Valley basketball teams, is a big college basketball fan.No, he didn't go to the Final Four to watch the Bulldogs narrowly miss out on becoming national champions, losing in the final to Duke.

"I'm a huge college basketball fan, but when they actually put the tickets for the Final Four on sale, we were at [Indiana University] for [the adidas Hoosier Invitational] tournament, so we couldn't get student tickets," Vogt said. "And for the final, I didn't feel like paying a couple hundred dollars for nose-bleed seats.

"But watching it at Hinkle Fieldhouse ... that was cool. Ten thousand people watching on the big screen? It was an awesome run. I though it was great. It was surreal. We were happy to get to the Sweet 16, and everyone was joking about making the Elite Eight. And they won a couple more!"

Following Butler's improbable run that captured the sporting nation's attention was certainly a highlight of Vogt's freshman year. And that's saying something, because Vogt had an impressive initial collegiate season of his own.

He played in all of the Bulldogs' 27 rounds this past season and finished third on the team with an average round of 77. At one point during the season, Vogt shot a 68, and he was named to the Butler athletic director's honor roll.

Some of his best performances included tying for seventh at the Butler Fall Invitational, tying for third at the Big Four Classic in April in Carmel, Ind., and tying for 10th at the Nebraska Invitational.

It was that tournament, Sept. 14 in Nebraska City, Neb., that Vogt said was a blessing and a curse for him. It was the first event of his college career, and he had the team's best score.

"I feel like -- looking back on it -- finishing in the top 10 of the first tournament, that might have been the worst thing to do," Vogt said. "Maybe I thought it was going to be a little easier than it was.

"Definitely, looking back on it this year, having a year under my belt, I'll be a little more composed with what to expect every event. It will help having a year under my belt, maturity-wise and golf-wise.

"We were a young team overall, too, with three freshmen. I think the whole team will be better next year."

Vogt competed his freshman season by tying for 17th at the Horizon League Championship April 26-27 in Lexington, Ky.

This summer is the first in which Vogt, 19, is not eligible for junior golf. But he is making a mark as an "adult."

He finished tied for 17th at the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association's Amateur Championship at the Sewickley Heights Golf Club. He also played in the Tri-State Open at Edgewood Country Club last month. He will attempt to qualify today for the Pennsylvania Golf Association's Open Championship at the Western Qualifier at Hannastown Golf Club in Greensburg.

Vogt also will participate in the Pennsylvania Amateur Championship Monday through Wednesday at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.

"I've been working with [Mt. Lebanon golf pro] Kevin Shields for the past year and a half, and right when I started working with him, I could tell he's helped a ton," he said. "He's helped me understand so much more about the golf swing, and I've been playing better."

A three-year letter-winner in golf at Seneca Valley, Vogt, who is 6 feet 5, was a starter his junior and senior seasons on the Raiders' basketball team that was a WPIAL Class AAAA semifinalist in 2009.

But it was in golf that Vogt, whose home course is Connoquenessing Country Club, really stood out. A two-time WPIAL championship qualifier, he placed fourth at the PIAA championships as a senior, becoming Seneca Valley's first to win a PIAA medal and only the third in school history to qualify (he placed 13th at WPIALs that year) for the PIAA tournament.

"I was big on basketball until my freshman year I decided to try out for the JV golf team," Vogt said. "I made it and since then have been kind of hooked.

"I've always been able to hit the ball a long way, and what I've been working on with Kevin is tightening up my swing a little bit. My putter has been streaky this year, and I'm always trying to get stuff tighter. You want to have fun and try to get better. If you don't do that, it's pointless."

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