Fresno State Athletics
Talent and Experience Meet Opportunity in 2000
3/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
March 8, 2000
The scene is set for another year of excellence and achievement. The Fresno State golf team is stacked with talent, leadership, experience and the will to win. Returning six seniors to this year's 12-man roster, the Bulldogs are brimming with explosive potential and are headed straight for post-season play looking to surpass last year's WAC and NCAA achievements to set a new standard for Bulldog golf. Aiding in their successful endeavors, Fresno State is hosting the NCAA West Regional this year at one of their home sights, the Riverbend Golf Course.
"This is the year that we have been anticipating," head coach Mike Watney said as he faces his 22nd year leading the Fresno State golf team. "Don't get the idea that I don't enjoy every other year, however you build in hope of developing a team that can tee it up with anyone and this team has the firepower to blow most fields away."
Padding the team are four gifted senior athletes who can win any given week for the Bulldogs. Todd Rose, a 1998-99 Dean's List and Fresno State Scholar Athlete honoree, heads into his final year at Fresno State having earned his first top-five career finish last season and shot his career low 67 in the PING/Arizona Invitational. At Rose's side is teammate Ryan King who is also a 1998-99 Dean's List and Fresno State Scholar Athlete honoree as well as a Bulldog Award recipient. King returns to the 1999-00 Bulldogs following a season filled with 11 top 20 finishes and a stroke average of 73.73. Danny Paniccia, who earned 1998-99 Dean's List and Fresno State Scholar Athlete honors as well as was named WAC Scholar Athlete, steps onto the green this year looking to improve his ten career top 20 finishes and his career low 69 stokes which he tied again in the first round of the Stevinson Ranch Invitational last season. Josh Watney will close out his four-year mentorship under his father, coach Watney, this year but not before leading the Bulldogs through one more great season. A 1998-99 All-America Scholar, WAC Scholar Athlete and Fresno State Scholar Athlete, Josh is the only active Bulldog to have won a collegiate tournament (49er Collegiate Classic in 1996-97) and is looking to add to his stats. These seniors helped the Bulldogs to two wins this fall including the 18-team Wolf Pack Classic (282-295-278-855) and the Pacific Match Play Intercollegiate. The Bulldogs also took second at the 20-team Nelson at Stanford with a combined score of 289-274-285-848. The Bulldogs also earned 13 top twenty individual finishes including five top five finishes, all five earned by the senior class.
"These four seniors have all won top level amateur tournaments and have numerous top fives and top tens in their college career. They have played in so many tournaments that they know how to deal with the excitement and drama of division one college golf," Watney said. "But these guys can't do it by themselves. They have the support from eight more guys who can step into the lineup with virtually no drop-off at all. Senior Mike Louden has strength and a tour level swing," Watney said. "And senior Brandon Lamonica is noted for his straight drive and a short game that can keep him in contention for playing time."
Freshman Nick Watney is a newcomer to keep an eye on as Watney said, "he has shown that he can already crack this tough lineup" and juniors Wes Lovell and Shaun Trimble are always tough competitors.
Newcomers and junior transfers Mike Kim, Dustin Smith and Jonathan Echols add three new faces and new talent to the veteran Bulldog team.
With the senior leadership and the talent-packed team to follow, the Bulldogs anticipate the millennium season to be one of the best. Hosting the NCAA West Regional and sending off one of the toughest senior classes in Bulldog history, Watney said he is simply "excited".
Hosting the NCAA West Regional will allow the San Joaquin Valley one last opportunity to see the seniors as they finish their careers, Watney said, and hopefully the regional will be a successful sendoff to the finals which will be hosted by Auburn in Alabama. But most importantly, Watney wants to send the seniors off with a sense of achievement and success not only for the game of golf, but in their academics and their lives.
"I am tremendously proud and impressed with the diligence, determination and dedication these seniors have with their studies. All six seniors will graduate and get their degrees in May. It is a tribute to their families, to the academic counseling staff at Fresno State, and to the student-athletes who set the goal to accomplish something that is immensely important in this day and age."
