Fresno State Athletics
Setting a New Standard for the New Millennium
6/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
June 3, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - The 1999-00 Bulldogs brought in more than a new year and a new century, they brought home a WAC Championship title , broke school records, set new tournament records, tied NCAA records, and all but swept conference awards with all the seniors in the Bulldogs' lineup earning All-WAC honors, the lone freshman on the starting brigade Nick Watney earning WAC Freshman of the Year and head coach Mike Watney taking home WAC Coach of the Year, his seventh in his career at Fresno State.
With a No. 5 national ranking, the Bulldogs hosted the NCAA West Regional at Riverbend Golf Course in Madera, Calif. for a three-round NCAA Championship preliminary tournament. With ten teams from the West Region advancing, the Bulldogs finished in a tie for sixth packing their bags for Auburn, Ala. and moving up to No. 4 in the national polls. The Bulldogs surged into the top 15 at the championship tournament finishing the fourth round in 13th place, the highest Fresno State NCAA Championship finish in 10 years.
The 2000 season will be remembered for more than the championships however, the Bulldogs left their mark on school records and tournament records as well. Seniors Ryan King, Todd Rose and Danny Paniccia broke into the Fresno State top-10 all-time lowest season average list with their 1999-00 performances. King now is the Fresno State all-time leader with an average of 71.7 and Rose tied for third with his season average of 71.9. Paniccia ranks No. 9 with his ending season average of 72.2.
As a team, Fresno State shattered the 54th Annual Western Intercollegiate tournament record, hosted by San Jose State, winning the tournament with an astounding team score of 838. The final score broke the standing record by 29 strokes, previously held by Arizona. Fresno State also broke the lowest round score of the tournament with a first-round of 266, previously held by San Jose State in 1965 at 278. With that same first round score of 266, the Bulldogs tied the NCAA season record of lowest round of the year. The Bulldogs score tied with Oklahoma State's 266 performance at the Red River Classic.
With an astounding season as a team, it's no wonder the Bulldogs set several individual career records and garnered WAC player of the week awards as well.
Senior Ryan King led the Bulldogs with the lowest season average (71.7), lowest career average (72.3), most career rounds under par (32), most career top 20 (21)and top five (6) finishes and was named WAC player of the Week for April 10-14 after placing second at the Western Intercollegiate. Senior Todd Rose marked his career lowest round of 66 at the Fresno Lexus, then did it again at the Western Intercollegiate. He earned WAC Player of the Week honors for Feb. 21-25 when he tied for fourth at the Taylor Made Invitational. Freshman Nick Watney took the Bulldogs by storm competing in 11 of the 13 tournaments his rookie season. Watney shot a career low-round of 68, was the Bulldogs' medallist at both the Ben Hogan Cougar Classic and the NCAA West Regional, he tied for ninth in both.
Saying goodbye to a brilliant season, and a unblemished career at Fresno State are six seniors, Josh Watney, Mike Louden, Brandon Lamonica, King, Rose, and Paniccia. A senior class that has made an imprint on Fresno State history and left a standard of excellence for the future teams of new the millennium.
