June 2, 2011
San Diego State's Ryan Donovan has been tabbed as one of 12 finalists for the Dave Williams Award, which is handed out to the national coach of the year in Division I men's golf, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced late Wednesday. The annual honor presented by Eaton Golf Pride is named after the late head coach at the University of Houston, who won 16 NCAA championships.
In his eighth year at the helm of his alma mater, Donovan's team is in the midst of one of the finest campaigns in program history. The Aztecs have been ranked as high as fourth nationally by golfstat.com, and have 13 top-five finishes, including 12 in the top three, while boasting a combined head-to-head record of 155-16, which amounts to a 90.6 winning percentage. SDSU hasn't finished lower than seventh at any 2010-11 outing and has twice been named the national team of the week by GolfWeek.
The Yorba Linda, Calif., native led the program to its' first Mountain West Conference and NCAA regional championships last month and became the first Aztec named MWC Coach of the Year in league history. In addition, the Aztecs have claimed five other tournament titles at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, the Arizona Invitational, the USC Invitational, the Fresno State Lexus Golf Classic and the Barona Collegiate Cup. The seven titles rank second nationally to only consensus No. 1 Oklahoma State, which has eight victories.
Donovan was a four-year member of the Aztec men's golf squad from 1997-2001, before earning his degree in public administration and playing professionally. He returned to The Mesa as an assistant coach in 2003, and later was promoted to head coach, where he has guided SDSU to 86 top-10 tournament finishes, 62 top-five performances, 19 team titles and four trips to the NCAA national championships, including this season.
The other finalists for this year's Dave Williams Award include: Buddy Alexander (Florida), Derek Freeman (UCLA), Mark Hankins (Iowa), Bruce Heppler (Georgia Tech), J.T. Higgins (Texas A&M), Mike McGraw (Oklahoma State), Brad McMakin (Arkansas), Jay Seawell (Alabama), Colin Sheehan (Yale), Mike Small (Illinois) and Jeff Thomas (Liberty). The winner is slated to be released by the GCAA in mid-June.
San Diego State is currently playing the third round of the 2011 NCAA championships in Stillwater, Okla. The top eight teams after Thursday's action advance to match play at Karsten Creek Golf Course.
GCAA Dave Williams Award Finalists (NCAA Division I national coach of the year)
Ryan Donovan, San Diego StateBuddy Alexander, FloridaDerek Freeman, UCLAMark Hankins, IowaBruce Heppler, Georgia TechJ.T. Higgins, Texas A&MMike McGraw, Oklahoma StateBrad McMakin, ArkansasJay Seawell, AlabamaColin Sheehan, YaleMike Small, IllinoisJeff Thomas, Liberty