April 25, 2002
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Postseason Now At Hand
After a grueling 11-tournament schedule, the 25th-ranked San Diego State men's golf team begins what it hopes will be a long and prosperous postseason run next week when the Aztecs travel to Sunriver, Ore., for the 2002 Mountain West Conference Men's Golf Championship. For the second straight year, the three-day, 54-hole championship will be played April 29th - May 1st on the Sunriver Resort's Crosswater Course (par 72; 7,188 yards) and features one 18-hole round each day. Play begins at 9 a.m. (PDT) on Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday's third and final round slated for an 8 a.m. (PDT) start.
The Field
The 25th-ranked Aztecs are one of three Mountain West Conference teams ranked in this week's Golfweek top-50 poll. No. 22 New Mexico is the league's highest ranked team with No. 35 UNLV also included in the most recent poll. The other five teams competing at next week's championship are: Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, Utah, and Wyoming.
For The Record: Aztecs Versus The Field
San Diego State has finished in the top five in 8-of-11 tournaments during the 2001-02 season and brings a sparkling 141-29 (.829) overall record into next week's championship. SDSU has faced each Mountain West school at least once during the current campaign, posting a dominant 21-3 record versus league foes. Colorado State, New Mexico and UNLV are the only teams to finish higher than the Aztecs with each squad getting the best of SDSU once. CSU has been the Aztecs' most frequent opponent, squaring off with SDSU seven times. On the flip side, the Aztecs have only faced Air Force once.
SDSU vs. the MWC
Air Force 1-0Brigham Young 3-0Colorado State 6-1New Mexico 2-1UNLV 1-1Utah 4-0Wyoming 4-0Total 21-3
Aztecs In Conference Championships
Since 1979, the San Diego State men's golf team has appeared in 22 conference championships. The Aztecs own four second-place finishes but are still looking for their first league title.
A Look Back At the 2001 Championship
SDSU's John Lepak shot 3-over 219 to capture the individual title and 2001 MWC Golfer of the Year Lars Johansson finished fifth at 7-over 223, but it was BYU that took home the team trophy as the Cougars edged the Aztecs by two strokes in frigid conditions at Sunriver. The Aztecs finished up with a team total of 28-over 848. Scott Piercy and Brian Miller also posted top-20 finishes, placing 13th and 18th, respectively.
Poll Watch: SDSU Stays the Course
San Diego State dropped slightly in both polls this week, falling to No. 25 in the Golfweek rankings and No. 23 in the GCAA Coaches Poll.
Back Spin: Aztecs Struggle at Stanford
John Lieber was the only Aztec to shoot a round of par or better during the entire 54-hole tournament as the Aztecs posted their lowest finish of the season with a ninth at the US Intercollegiate last weekend. Lieber and Mark Warman both placed in the top 25, but SDSU could only manage a 26-over 878 on the par-71 Stanford Golf Course. Scott Henderson was the only other Aztec to crack the top 50, placing 38th in the 91-player field.
Aztec Chip Shots
* Despite being ranked in the top 25 for most of the 2001-02 campaign, SDSU has just one player ranked in Golfweek's top 100--No. 82 John Lieber.
* Two Aztecs are ranked in the Mountain West's top 10 in stroke average. John Lieber is No. 2 at 72.3 and Mark Warman checks in at No. 6 with a 72.7 average.
* Eight of the nine players who have appeared in at least two tournaments this season own stroke averages under 74.0.
* Just over one stroke separates SDSU's starting five. Lieber leads the way at 72.3 with Brandon Kearney posting the highest average at 73.4.
* After not cracking the top 20 since the Aztecs' spring opener in Hawaii, No. 4 player Brandon Kearney has turned the trick twice in two of the last three tournaments, placing third at Oregon and 16th in Texas.
* John Lieber, SDSU's stroke average leader among players with at least nine competitive rounds this season, has placed in the top 25 in 9-of-11 events, including five top-5s. The junior has also carded 13 rounds of par or better in the last eight tournaments.
* Lars Johansson has been SDSU's top finisher in two of the last four tournaments, placing second at the USD Invitational and eighth at the Border Olympics.
Head Coach Dale Walker
Head coach Dale Walker is in his second season at the helm of th SDSU golf program. A standout performer for the Aztecs from 1975-79, he has guided the Aztecs to six tournament titles since taking over as head coach.
2001-02 Stroke Averages Avg. Rds.John Lieber* 72.3 33Mark Warman* 72.7 33Lars Johansson* 73.0 29Scott Henderson* 73.3 24Brandon Kearney* 73.4 33Gilberto Rodriguez 71.2 6Chris Galeski 73.6 12Charlie Smith 73.9 9Linus Nilsson 75.5 6Jarrod Jenkins 76.3 3*Probable SDSU starter at the MWC Championship.