SAN DIEGO – San Diego State men's golf head coach Ryan Donovan has added six student-athletes to the team's 2018-19 roster, split between three talented transfers and three standout freshmen. Joining the Aztecs this fall with previous collegiate experience are juniors Ambrose Abbracciamento (Newtown, Pa./Univ. of Hartford), Newport Laparojkit (Montebello, Calif./South Carolina Beaufort) and Aaron Whalen (Ephrata, Wash./Washington State), who will hit the practice tees next week along with first-year players Youssef Guezzale (San Diego, Calif.), Joey Moore (Billings, Mont.) and Leo Oyo (Tokyo, Japan).
San Diego State, which is coming off its school-record 20th consecutive NCAA regional appearance last spring, opens its new season next month when it travels to the Twin Cities area for the Gopher Invitational, Sept. 9-10, at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minnesota.
Below is look at the Aztecs' newest roster additions:
AMBROSE ABBRACCIAMENTO (Junior; Newtown, Pa./Univ. of Hartford)
AT HARTFORD: Played two seasons at the University of Hartford, where he twice garnered all-Big Sky Conference accolades and was a two-time all-New England Division I selection … Captured Big Sky Player of the Week honors on seven occasions … Completed 21 rounds at or below par in 19 events during his tenure with the Hawks … Recorded the second-lowest single-season scoring average in Hartford men's golf history with a 72.08 clip during the 2017-18 campaign … Has posted five top-10 placements as a collegian, highlighted by an individual title at the 2018 Loyola Intercollegiate in Goodyear Ariz. … Shot a 17-under 199 at the event to break the school individual tournament scoring record by four strokes.
PRIOR TO COLLEGE: Was the No. 1 rated junior in the state of Pennsylvania in 2016, according to the Golfweek and Rolex AJGA rankings … Also ranked among the top 40 in the nation for the class of 2016 … Won back-to-back titles the Trusted Choice Big I New Jersey Championship in 2012 and 2013 … Finished second at the Future Champions Golf (FCG) National Tour Rose Bowl Championship in 2016 … Garnered all-Colonial Valley Conference accolades as a prep at Robbinsville (N.J.) High School and was named the league's Player of the Year in 2013 … Additionally received first-team all-Bicentennial Athletic League honors in 2014 and 2015 while competing for Holy Ghost Prep School (Pa.) … Graduated from Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School in 2016.
NEWPORT LAPAROJKIT (Junior; Montebello, Calif./Univ. of South Carolina Beaufort)
AT SOUTH CAROLINA BEAUFORT: Played two seasons at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, where he garnered first-team NAIA All-America accolades as a sophomore and was a semifinalist for the NAIA Jack Nicklaus Award … Also drew consideration for the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup … Led the Sand Sharks to the 2018 Sun Conference Championship with a third-place individual finish at 3-under 213 … Also helped USCB to an 11th-place standing at the NAIA Championships that season ... Received Sun Conference Player of the Week recognition on seven occasions and was twice named his team's Most Valuable Player … Merited third-team NAIA All-America distinction in 2017 and collected NAIA all-freshman honors … Has posted nine top-three finishes as a collegian, including a trio of individual crowns … Emerged triumphant at the 2017 Thomas University Fall Invitational in Valdosta, Ga., before winning the team's own Sand Shark Classic for the second year in a row last March.
JUNIOR GOLF: Finished a solo fifth at the 2017 SCGA Public Links Championships in Pasadena, Calif. … Was also a two-year competitor in both the California State Amateur Championship and California State Open (2017, 2018).
AARON WHALEN (Junior; Ephrata, Wash./Washington State Univ.)
AT WASHINGTON STATE: Began his collegiate career at Washington State, where he competed in 13 tournaments over parts of two seasons … Started 11 of 12 events for the Cougars as a freshman during the 2015-16 campaign, maintaining a 74.29 scoring average … Recorded four top-11 finishes that season, highlighted by a runner-up performance at the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate … Shot an 8-under 205 at the tournament, which is still tied for eighth on the school's all-time list for lowest 54-hole score … Also tied for 10th at the Husky Invitational to go with a pair of 11th-place efforts at the Arizona Intercollegiate and the Seattle U Redhawk Invitational … Tied for 23rd in both of his appearances during the 2016-17 season at the Itani Quality HomesCollegiate and Arizona Intercollegiate.
AMATEUR/JUNIOR GOLF: Emerged triumphant on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff at the 2017 Agave Amateur Championship in Indio, Calif., after posting a fifth-place performance at the Washington Open Invitational earlier that year at Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent, Wash. … Registered consecutive top-seven placements in the summer of 2016 at the Pacific Northwest Amateur Championship (t-5th), the Pacific Coast Amateur (6th) and the Washington State Amateur (t-7th) … Also competed in the 2015 U.S. Amateur … Won the 2014 AJGA Ryan Moore Championship in Lakewood, Wash., to go with a sixth-place standing at the AJGA Junior Worlds at nearby Torrey Pines Golf Course.
HIGH SCHOOL: Starred at Ephrata (Wash.) High School, where he garnered first-team all-Central Washington Athletic Conference accolades on three occasions … Merited CWAC Player of the Year honors during his junior campaign in 2014 … Captured the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) 2A state championship as a sophomore in 2013, followed by a runner-up finish the following year … Also took home the individual crown at the WIAA 2A regional meet as a freshman … Was a two-sport athlete who additionally played basketball as a prep.
YOUSSEF GUEZZALE (Freshman; San Diego, Calif./La Jolla High)
HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated in 2017 from La Jolla High School, where he won four varsity letters … Earned first-team all-Western League honors as a senior after finishing third in match play at the San Diego City Championships … Captured medalist honors three times during the regular season … Tied for 12th at the 2016 CIF San Diego Section Championship and also competed in the CIF/SCGA Regional Championship … All-academic selection.
JUNIOR GOLF: Posted four top-10 finishes in junior events around San Diego in 2017, highlighted by a runner-up placement at the Craig Stadler Junior at Rancho Bernardo Inn … Tied for third at the 18 Greens Junior Championship at Encintas Ranch … Landed in the eighth spot at the Phil Mickelson Junior at Twin Oaks following a ninth-place tie at the Golden State Tour Junior at Temecula Creek Inn … Also tied for third at the 2017 Hana Financial Group Se Ri Pak Junior Championship held at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico, Calif., as well as at the Toyota Tour Cup College Showcase that same year at Steele Canyon … Emerged victorious at the 2016 Future Champions Golf San Diego Challenge at Riverwalk … Also registered a pair of runner-up performances that year at the SDJCA Chris Riley Junior (15-18) at Twin Oaks and the Porzak Academy Junior at Pala Mesa.
JOEY MOORE (Freshman; Billings, Mont./Billings West High)
HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated in 2018 from Billings West High School, where he captured back-to-back Class AA Montana state individual championships during his junior and senior campaigns following two consecutive runner-up placements … Broke his own state tournament scoring record with an 11-under-par 133 (67-66) en route to the 2017 crown … Led the Bears to three straight team titles and one second-place finish (2018) in his prep career … Also played basketball as a guard for Billings West.
AMATEUR/JUNIOR GOLF: Has excelled in junior and amateur competition as well, winning the boys 16-18 title at the MSGA Junior State Golf Championship for the second time earlier this summer, notching an eagle on the final hole to earn the victory … Emerged triumphant at the same event in 2017, recording another eagle on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to take home the trophy … Claimed his second straight medalist honor that same year at the Montana Trusted Choice Big I Tournament … Tied for first in regulation at the Barnett Memorial before falling in a playoff … Finished as amateur champion at the 2017 Lake City Open and was the low amateur at the Gallatin Valley Open … Qualified for the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, where he advanced to the round of 32 in match play after tying for 18th in stroke play … Won his earlier sectional in Sioux Falls, S.D. … Four-time competitor at the Junior America's Cup and twice played in the Trusted Choice Big I National Championships.
LEO OYO (Freshman; Tokyo, Japan/Adirondack Learning Academy (N.Y.))
PRIOR TO COLLEGE: Arrives at San Diego State with a No. 12 Rolex AJGA ranking … Was a member of the West squad that captured the team title at the AJGA Wyndham Cup in July 2018 at Old Sandwich Golf Club in Plymouth, Mass. … Collected medalist honors at the Bishops Gate Golf Academy Boys Junior Championship in April 2018 at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla. … Also finished a solo seventh at the Sergio and Angela Garcia Foundation Junior Championship earlier in the year in Austin, Texas … Tied for the runner-up spot at the 2017 Daniel Berger Junior Championship in Jupiter, Fla. … Ended the year with a sixth-place tie at the Future Champions Golf National Championship at nearby Sycuan Resort … Posted a two-stroke victory the 2016 Innisbrook Christmas Junior in Florida … Also participated in the 2016 IMG Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines.