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Oct. 7, 2002
SAN DIEGO - Coming off a fourth-place finish in its first fall event, the San Diego State men's golf team, No. 9 in the latest Golfstat ratings, returns to action today for the first two rounds of the 54-hole Wolf Pack Classic at Genoa Lakes Golf Club in Genoa, Nev.
- Hosted by Nevada, the Wolf Pack field holds eight of Golfstat's top 100 teams. At No. 9 in the latest rankings, SDSU is the top-rated team in the event, followed by No. 15 Denver and No. 22 Lamar.
- The Aztecs' top tandem of senior John Lieber and junior Mark Warman, who each virtually matched their statistics from last season by averaging 72.67 over their first three fall rounds, go up against an individual field that includes Golfweek's No. 14-ranked golfer, UTEP's Dan Swanson.
Recapping The Tucker Intercollegiate
- SDSU began the fall season with a fourth-place finish at the Sept. 13-14 William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, held at the UNM Championship Course in Albuquerque, N.M. The Aztecs shot 294-290-291 for a total of 875, finishing 11 shots behind team champion and host New Mexico.
- SDSU finished behind the host school as well as Golfweek preseason No. 7 Arizona and No. 18 UNLV, but the Aztecs defeated No. 22 Oklahoma and No. 29 Pepperdine.
- By finishing a shot ahead of Texas Tech, San Diego gained a measure of revenge for last season's playoff elimination from the NCAA West Regional by the Red Raiders at the UNM Championship Course.
- Just as they did in four tournaments last season, senior John Lieber and junior Mark Warman finished as the Aztecs' top two individuals by tying for 14th place at 2-over 218. Junior Lars Johansson tied for 27th, while junior Gilberto Rodriguez took a share of 31st and redshirt freshman Andrew Scott finished his first collegiate tournament in a tie for 42nd.
- In his first event since redshirting the 2001-02 season to recover from a back injury, senior John Lepak, competing as an individual, grabbed a share of 22nd place with a 4-over total of 220.
Meet The Aztecs
- The 2002-03 edition of the San Diego State men's golf team has the looks of a squad whose time has come to challenge for the NCAA championship. All the pieces seem to be in place this season to eclipse the success of a year ago, when the Aztecs finished in Golfweek's final Top 25 rankings and came within a single shot and playoff of advancing to the NCAA championship.
- The Aztec roster boasts the past two MWC Golfer of the Year selections - 2002 pick John Lieber and 2001 honoree Lars Johansson. In addition, the Aztecs feature 2002 NCAA Championship individual qualifier Mark Warman and former Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and conference first-team selection at Oregon State in 1999, John Lepak, who is coming off a redshirt season to recover from a back injury.
- Adding to that talented core are seniors Brian Miller, who returns from a redshirt season a year ago, but who had five top-20 finishes in 2000-01; Chris Galeski, who averaged 73.6 over 12 rounds in 2001-02; and Charlie Smith, who in three fall 2001 events averaged 73.9. Junior Gilberto Rodriguez and redshirt freshman Andrew Scott were impressive during team qualifying and cracked the team's initial lineup, while redshirt sophomore Aaron Choi and junior Linus Nilsson add talented depth to the roster.
- The Aztecs also landed prize recruit Chris Cole from Wales, while local products Cory Segall (La Jolla HS) and Kyle Shelly (Torrey Pines HS) as well as talented sophomore and San Jose State transfer Jeff Hansen will likely redshirt in their first seasons in the SDSU program.
Last Year By The Numbers
- According to Golfstat's 2001-02 Division I team rankings, San Diego State finished second nationally in par 5 scoring with a 4.78 average and eighth in par 3 scoring with a 3.17 average. The Aztecs finished as Golfstat's 28th-ranked team with a head-to-head rating of 257-26.
- The Aztecs finished 25th in Golfweek's final rankings with a rating of 72.08. Against the nation's 73rd-ranked schedule, the Aztecs finished third in District 7 and were 9-17-0 against Golfweek's Top 25, 27-33-1 vs. the Top 50, 90-40-1 against the Top 100 and 155-40-1 overall.
Head Coach Dale Walker
- Head coach Dale Walker is in his third season at the helm of the SDSU golf program. A standout performer for the Aztecs from 1975-79, he has guided the Aztecs to seven tournament titles since taking over as head coach. Walker is assisted by Tim Mickelson, a 1999 Oregon State graduate who also played for perennial powerhouse Arizona State and spent time on the professional circuit.
Fall 2002 Stroke Averages Avg. Rds.John Lieber* 72.67 3Mark Warman* 72.67 3John Lepak* 73.33 3Lars Johansson 73.67 3Gilberto Rodriguez 74.00 3Drew Scott* 74.67 3Brian Miller* First EventAaron Choi^ First Event* Starter at the Wolf Pack Classic^ Will compete as an individual at the Wolf Pack Classic