The Loop
College preview 2006-07: Mountain West
Amazing as it seems, the 2006-07 college season is upon us. In the Sept. 1 issue of Golf World magazine, we've put together a package to help you get set for the coming year. Included is a story about what qualities are needed to have a successful golf team (Note: players don't always have to be best friends). Additionally, we have our annual top-50 Players to Watch section for both the men and women, as well as the preseason GW coaches' polls, which have defending NCAA men's champion Oklahoma State and women's champion Duke in the top spots.
To supplement the magazine's preview, though, I'm going to try to break things down further with previews of the top teams in the country by conference. Beginning Sept. 1, I've looked at team rosters and ranked schools within various conference, as well as made predictions on players of the year and who'll advance to NCAA regionals come May.
Here is a schedule of the conference previews to help you find your favorite. Come back and see where we rank your school ... and don't be afraid to comment if you think I'm all wet.
Conference, Date
ACC, Friday, Sept. 1
SEC, Monday, Sept. 4
Big Ten, Tuesday, Sept. 5
Big 12, Wednesday, Sept. 6
Pac-10, Thursday, Sept. 7
Mountain West, Friday, Sept. 8
Conference USA, Monday, Sept. 12
Mid-American Conference, Tuesday, Sept. 13
West Coast Conference, Wednesday, Sept. 14
WAC, Thursday, Sept. 15
Best of the Rest, Friday, Sept. 16
MEN
__2006-07 outlook
Predicted champion:__ BYU
Predicted player of the year: Seung-Su Han, UNLV
NCAA Regional bound: BYU, UNLV, TCU, New Mexico, San Diego State
__2005-06 Accolades
Player of the year:__ Jake Ellison, BYU
Freshman of the year: Seung-su Han, UNLV
Coach of the year: Bruce Brockbank, BYU
Mountain West medalist: Jay Choi, New Mexico
All-Mountain West First team:
Oscar Alvarez, BYU
Jake Ellison, BYU*
Derrick Whiting, Colorado State*
Jay Choi, New Mexico
Aaron Goldberg, San Diego State*
Andres Gonzalez, UNLV
Seung-su Han, UNLV*
Jarred Texter, UNLV*
Dustin Pimm, Utah*
__2006-07 RANKING
__
NCAAs: 15th Mountain West: 4th
Events: 14 Wins: 3 (Barona Cup, Arizona Intercollegiate, Cougar Classic)
Top-five finishes: 9
Seniors/starters lost: 3 (Oscar Alvarez, Greg Hunt, Shaun Wuertz)
Opening tournament: William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, Albuquerque, Sept. 22-23
Returning players:
Nick Becker, Sr.—73.1 SA; 2 top-10s in 14 starts
Jake Ellison, Sr.—71.5 SA; 7 top-10s in 14 starts
Nick Killpack, Soph.—73.0 SA; 4 starts
Clay Ogden, Sr.—72.3 SA; 4 top-10s in 13 starts
Daniel Summerhays, Jr.—72.15 SA; 4 top-10s in 13 starts
Incoming freshmen:
Robbie Fillmore, Salt Lake City
Brady Johnson, Mill Bay, British Columbia
Tyson McFarland, Rexburg, Idaho
Brad Nicholson, Chandler, Ariz.
Adam Tebbs, Henderson, Ariz.
__2. UNLV
__[#image: /photos/55ad7050add713143b421895]|||Unlv_logo_3|||Coach: Dwaine Knight, 20th year
NCAAs: MC Mountain West: 3rd
Events: 12 Wins: 2 (Tucker Invite, Southern Highlands)
Top five: 7
Seniors/starters lost: 3 (Troy Denton, Casey Fowles, Andres Gonzales)
Opening tournament: Inverness Invitational, Toledo, Ohio, Sept. 11-12
Returning players:
C.J. Gatto, Jr.—73.3 SA; 2 top-10s in 9 starts
Seung-Su Han, Soph.—73.08 SA; 2 top-10s in 12 starts
San Hunt, Sr.—77.0 SA; 1 start
Brett Kanda, R-Fr.—Redshirted in 2005-06
Ryan Keeney, Sr.—Redshirted in 2005-06
Matt Kinsinger, Jr.—74.28 SA; 2 top-10s in 6 starts; Win at Southern Highlands
Brandon Loska, Jr.—77.3 SA; 1 start
Eddie Olson, Soph.—80.67 SA; 1 start
Jarred Texter, Jr.—72.47 SA; 3 top-10s in 12 starts
Blake Trimble, Soph.—75.0 SA; 1 top-10 in 8 starts
Incoming freshmen/transfer:
Mitchell Fox, Okotoks, Alberta (scheduled to enroll in January 2007)
Roberto Galletti, Jr., Concord, Calif.
Johnny Pinjuv, transfer from USC
__
__[#image: /photos/55ad7050b01eefe207f66ce8]|||Tcu_logo|||Coach: Bill Montigel, 20th year
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 5th
Events: 12 Wins: 0
Top five: 4
Seniors/starters lost: 1 (Drew Laning)
Opening tournament: Inverness Invitational, Toledo, Ohio, Sept. 11-12
Returning players:
Franklin Corpening, Jr.—74.07 SA; 2 top-10s in 11 starts
Jon McLean, Soph.—73.73 SA; 2 top-10s in 11 starts
Tom Miles, Soph.—73.96 SA; 1 top-5 in 9 starts
Robby Ormand, Soph.—74.42 SA; 4 starts
James Sacheck, Jr.—74.0 SA; 2 starts
Jess Speirs, Soph.—76.83 SA; 4 starts
Drew Stoltz, Sr.—74.97 SA; 1 top-10 in 10 starts
Incoming freshmen:
Clark Mitzner, McKinney, Texas
Travis Woolf, Fort Worth, Texas
__
Coach:__ Glen Millican, 6th year
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: Win
Events: 12 Wins: 1 (Mountain West)
Top five: 3
Seniors/starters lost: 6 (Mark Anderson, Jay Choi, Jeb Grueneberger, Darrin Hall, Travis Reid, Dave Tiffenberg)
Opening tournament: Inverness Invitational, Toledo, Ohio, Sept. 11-12
Returning players:
Charlie Beljan, Sr.—74.14 SA; 1 top-10 in 10 starts
Robb Bierbaum, Jr.—75.9 SA; 7 starts
Guillermo Chavez, Soph.—81.33 SA; 1 start
Nick Geyer, Soph.—74.47 SA; 7 starts
Jacob Lestishen, Soph.—76.8 SA; 5 starts (all JV events)
Dan Saltz, Soph.—75.39 SA; 6 starts
Steve Saunders, Soph.—74.33 SA; 1 top-10 in 8 starts
Incoming freshmen/transfers:
Tom Carlson, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Sean McNamara, Monte Sereno, Calif.
Kyle Nielsen, Lake Havasu City, Calif.
Andrew Patipaksiri, Cypress, Calif.
Brandon Putnam, Albuquerque, N.M.
Jon Sauer, St. Cloud, Minn. (transfer from Central Missouri State)
Alex Zannes, Albuquerque, N.M.
__5. SAN DIEGO STATE
Coach:__ Ryan Donovan, 4th year
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 2nd
Events: 13 Wins: 3 (Club Glove, Callaway Golf Invite, Oregon Duck Invite)
Top five: 9
Seniors/starters lost: 2 (Andrew Scott, Josh Warthan)
Opening tournament: Topy Cup, Japan, Sept. 5-7
Returning players (Scoring averages don’t include scores at NCAA regionals):
Chris Cole, Sr.—73.6 SA; 1 start
Aaron Goldberg, Jr.—72.6 SA; 3 top-10s in 13 starts
John Gray, Sr.—73.9 SA; 1 top-10 in 5 starts
Chad Moscovic, Jr.—75.1 SA; 5 starts
David Palm, Jr.—73.2 SA; 2 top-10s in 13 starts; Win at Club Glove
Jamie Puterbaugh, Jr.—75.6 SA; 3 starts
Jason Puterbaugh, Sr.—77.5 SA; 3 starts
Cory Segall, Sr.—72.8 SA; 2 top-10s in 6 starts
Michael Wynn, Soph.—Did not play in 2005-06
Incoming freshmen/transfers:
Ryan Citarella, transfer from Santiago Canyon CC
Joacim Hultman, Sweden
Jerry Porras, Mexico
Adam Porzak, transfer from Pepperdine
__
Coach:__ Jamie Bermel, 8th year
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 6th
Events: 12 Wins: 0
Top five: 4
Seniors/starters lost: 2 (Kevin McAlpine, Nate Pettitt)
Opening tournament: Falcon Invitational, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sept. 9-10
Returning players:
Riley Arp, R-Fr.—Redshirted in 2005-06
Zen Brown, Soph.—1 top-10 in 12 starts
Herve Gevers, Soph.—5 starts
Adam Nelson, Jr.—Did not play in 2005-06
Praneeth Perera, Soph.—Did not play in 2005-06
Chase Watkins, Jr.—Did not play in 2005-06
Aaron Weston, Sr.—10 starts
Derrick Whiting, Sr.—2 top-10s in 13 starts; Win at Rice Intercollegiate
Incoming freshmen/transfers:
Bryce Hanstad, Alexandria, Minn.
Dustin Morris, Crosby, Texas
Tyler Whiting, Alexandria, Minn.
__7. UTAH
Coach:__ Randall McCracken, 3rd year
NCAAs: DNP __ Mountain West:__ 7th
__Events:__13 Wins: 0
__Top five:__3
Seniors/starters lost: 3 (Mike Branca, Nick Micek, Steve Newren)
Opening tournament: Falcon Invitational, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sept. 9-10
Returning players:
Steven Broker, Jr.—Did not play in 2005-06
Nick Carter, Soph.—76.64 SA; 4 starts
Chance Cota, Soph.—76.34 SA; 11 starts
Chris Gresh, Soph.—73.71 SA; 1 top-5 in 13 starts
Nicholas Larson, Jr.—Did not play in 2005-06
Dustin Pimm, Jr.—71.20 SA; 8 top-10s in 15 starts; Win at Purple & Red
Incoming freshmen/transfers:
Derek Adams, Lake Havasu, Ariz.
Christopher Celio-Elia, Goodyear, Ariz.
Jeff Kitches, Salt Lake City
__8. AIR FORCE
Coach:__ George Koury, 5th year
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 9th
Events: 13 Wins: 2 (Falcon Invitational, Service Academy Classic)
Top five: 2
Seniors/starters lost: 2 (Andy Davis, Scott Redmon)
Opening tournament: Falcon Invitational, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sept. 9-10
Returning players (includes JV starts):
Chad Follett, Sr.—77.25 SA; 7 starts
Jared Freeman, Jr.—78.88 SA; 1 top-10 in 6 starts
Andrew Gibson, Soph.—78.35 SA; 1 top-10 in 7 starts
Tyler Goulding, Sr.—72.97 SA; 4 top-10s in 12 starts
Tyler Labrum, Jr.—76.10 SA; 1 top-5 in 10 starts
Shaun O’Bryant, Soph.—78.31 SA; 5 starts
Matt Tanis, Jr.—78.77 SA; 6 starts
Bob Whitney, Jr.—76.57 SA; 1 top-10 in 10 starts
Incoming freshmen/transfers:
Lucas Catalano
Peter Guzowski
Josh McFarland
Michael Pak
Jason Shank
Tom Whitney
__
Coach:__ Joe Jensen, 6th year
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 8th
Events: 11 Wins: 0
Top five: 2
Seniors/starters lost: 4 (Eric Baily, Matthew Brunk, Jonathan Shuss, Dan Silva)
Opening tournament: Falcon Invitational, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sept. 9-10
Returning players:
Jeff Franks, Sr.—73.67 SA; 1 top-10 in 11 starts
Niel King, Sr.—Did not play in 2005-06
Corey Steger, Soph.—75.21 SA; 8 starts
Incoming freshmen/transfers:
Max Curnow, Liberty, Mo.
Zac Fisher, transfer from Hutchinson CC
Brandon McCoy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Ryne Paulson, Casper, Wyo.
Casey Ruff, Buffalo, Wyo.____
WOMEN
__2006-07 outlook
Predicted champion:__ UNLV
Predicted player of the year: Da Sol Chung, UNLV
NCAA Regional bound: UNLV, New Mexico, BYU, TCU
__2005-06 Accolades
Player of the year:__ Da Sol Chung, UNLV
Freshman of the year: Da Sol Chung, UNLV; Mikaela Backstedt, New Mexico
Coach of the year: Missy Ringler, UNLV
Mountain West medalist: Da Sol Chung, UNLV
All-Mountain West First team:
Seema Sadekar, UNLV*
Grace Woo, UNLV
Da Sol Chung, UNLV*
Elena Kurokawa, UNLV
Chelsea Benton, Colorado State*
Mikaela Backstedt, New Mexico*
Py Bengtsson, New Mexico*
Rachel Newren, BYU*
__2006-07 RANKING
__
NCAAs: 22nd Mountain West: Won
Events: 11 Wins: 3 (UNLV Spring Invite, BYU Dixie, Mountain West)
Top-five finshes: 6
Seniors/starters lost: 4 (Elena Kurokawa, Erin McGough, Young Pak, Grace Woo)
Opening tournament: Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, Albuquerque, Sept. 11-12
Returning players:
Allison Chell, Jr.—80.8 SA: 5 starts
Da Sol Chung, Soph.—72.7 SA; 7 top-5s, 9 top-10s in 11 starts; Win at Mountain West
Kasi Lee, Soph.—82.3 SA; 4 starts (transfer from Tulane in mid-season, UNLV stats only)
Nicole McGirr, Soph.—90.0 SA; 2 starts
Seema Sadekar, Sr.—75.0 SA; 2 top-10s in 11 starts; Win at BYU Dixie
Incoming freshmen:
Kristin Ingram, Pasadena, Calif.
Natasha Krishna, New Zealand
Melissa Mabanta, Vancouver, B.C.
__2. NEW MEXICO
__
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 2nd
Events: 11 Wins: 0
Top five: 7
Seniors/starters lost: 2 (Christine Fernandez, Ashley Rollins)
Opening tournament: Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, Albuquerque, Sept. 11-12
Returning players:
Mikaela Backstedt, Soph.—73.4 SA; 8 top-10s in 10 starts; Win at Price’s Give Em Five
Py Bengtsson, Soph.—75.82 SA; 2 top-10 in 11 starts
Giselle Claux, Jr.—77.09 SA; 1 top-10 in 11 starts
Morgan Grantham, Soph.—79.0 SA; 8 starts
Alexandra Phelps, Jr.—76.53 SA; 10 starts
Incoming freshmen:
Britney Choy, Wahiawa, Hawaii
Jodi Ewart, England
__3. BYU
__
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 3rd
Events: 11 Wins: 2 (Oregon State Invite, Anteater Invite)
Top five: 7
Seniors/starters lost: 0
Opening tournament: Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, Albuquerque, Sept. 11-12
Returning players:
Ashley Childers, Jr.—79.31 SA: 3 top-10s in 9 starts (including JV); T-1 at Grand Valley
Alexis Edwards, Sr.—77.3 SA; 1 top-10 in 9 starts
Juli Erekson, Jr.—76.79 SA; 5 top-10s in 11 starts
Katie Higham, Jr.—Did not play in 2005-06
Natalia Jimenez, Soph.—80.28 SA; 8 starts (including JV)
Alana Maiello, Soph.—88.82; SA 4 starts (including JV)
Rachel Newren, Sr.—74.54 SA; 7 top-10s in 12 starts; Win at Anteater
Danielle von Arnim, Sr.— 78.1 SA; 1 top-10 in 10 starts
Incoming freshmen:
Shayla Forsey
Camille Gardner
Hannah Summerhays
Daphne Vines
__4. TCU
Coach:__ Angie Ravaioli-Larkin, 13th year
NCAAs: DNP __ Mountain West:__ 4th
Events: 11 __ Wins:__ 1 (Marilynn Smith Sunflower)
Top five: 6
Seniors/starters lost: 1 (Traci Robison)
Opening tournament: Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, Albuquerque, Sept. 11-12
Returning players:
Stacey Bieber, Sr.—78.43 SA;1 top-10 in 8 starts
Camille Blackerby, Sr.—75.3 SA; 3 top-10s in 11 starts
Elin Emanuelsson, Sr.—76.57 SA; 1 top-10 in 10 starts
Elisa Gomez, Jr.—85.0 SA; 2 starts
Catherine Matranga, Sr.—75.79 SA; 2 top-10s in 11 starts
Kelli Montigel, Soph.—Did not play in 2005-06
Carrie Morris, Jr.—78.7 SA; 11 starts
Incoming freshmen:
Megan O’Donnell, Houston
Ashley Watkins, Sealy, Texas
__5. SAN DIEGO STATE
Coach:__ Felicia Brown, 5th year
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 5th
Events: 10 Wins: 3 (La Quinta Inn & Suites Shootout, Lady Aztec, Lady Braveheart)
Top five: 4
Seniors/starters lost: 2 (Heather MacRae, Megan Mulhaupt)
Returning players (includes 1 JV start):
Anna Booth, Jr.—79.8 SA; 2 top-10s in 9 starts
Petra Cole, Soph.—82.0 SA; 1 top-10 in 7 starts
Alana Erlandson, Soph.—79l75 SA: 1 top-10 in 5 starts
Maki Kamimura, Soph.—78.55 SA; 2 top-10s in 10 starts
Jackie Kazarian, Jr.—Did not play in 2005-06
Megan McLeod, Soph.—76.6 SA; 2 top-10s in 4 starts; Win at La Quinta
Jamie Oliver, Sr.—79.95 SA; 7 starts
MacKenzie Swecker, Jr.—82.71 SA; 3 starts
Heather Wilson, Soph.—78.92 SA; 5 starts
Ashley Wood, R-Fr.—Redshirted in 2005-06
Incoming freshmen/transfers:
Marcela Campbell, Glendale, Calif.
Kim Carmody, transfer from McLennan CC
__6. COLORADO STATE
Coach:__ Angie Hopkins, 5th year
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 6th
Events: 10 __ Wins:__ 0
Top five: 1
Seniors/starters lost: 3 (Kelly Brotherton, Krystina Gillenwater, Karen Wanersdorfer)
Opening tournament: Ptarmigan/Ram Fall Classic, Fort Collins, Colo., Sept. 11-12
Returning players:
Chelsea Benton, Jr.—75.13 SA; 3 top-10s in 10 starts
Megan Chapman, Jr.—77.45 SA; 10 starts
Stefanie Ferguson, Soph.—79.93 SA; 10 starts
Natalie Stone, R-Fr.—Redshirted in 2005-06
Amber Ward, Sr.—79.31 SA; 9 starts
Incoming freshmen/transfers:
Kasey Claussen, Fort Collins, Colo.
Mary Ellen Herring, transfer from Wofford
__
Coach:__ Josey Stender, 2nd year
NCAAs: DNP Mountain West: 7th
Events: 11 __ Wins:__ 0
Top five: 2
Seniors/starters lost: 1 (Whitney Hernandez)
Opening tournament: Ptarmigan/Ram Fall Classic, Fort Collins, Colo., Sept. 11-12
Returning players:
Kaelee Aegerter, Jr.—85.0 SA; 5 starts
Lindsay Bauknecht, Jr.—82.96 SA; 9 starts
Michelle Camaione, Sr.—86.72 SA; 7 starts
Mikala Henzlik, Soph.—80.77 SA; 1 top-5 in 11 starts
Laura Mengelkamp, Jr.—77.53 SA; 4 top-10s in 11 starts
Kayla Morrison, Sr.—85.75 SA; 3 starts
Incoming freshmen:
Sarah Fogerty, San Diego
Johnna Jeffries, Grand Island, Neb.
Ashlee Lansang, Rock Springs, Wyo.
Jonelle Martinez, Santa Fe, N.M.