Fresno State Athletics
Watney, Carlotti Named Fresno State Athletes of the Year
6/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
June 10, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - Senior golfer Nick Watney and sophomore women's tennis player Chloe Carlotti have been named the 2002-03 Fresno State Athletes of the Year by a vote of Fresno-area media members.
"Nick and Chloe distinguished themselves with their great success and the positive manner in which they represented their teams and Fresno State," Athletics Director Scott Johnson said. "They both worked tirelessly and put their teams in the national spotlight with their accomplishments. It was a real privilege to watch both individuals compete this year."
Watney was a first-team Ping All-America selection after spending much of the 2002-03 season atop the Golfstat Cup rankings. He broke the NCAA single-season scoring average record with a 69.93, and in the process became just the sixth player in collegiate golf history with a sub-70 scoring average.
A native of Dixon, Calif., Watney helped lead the Bulldogs to a WAC title this year and was the best the nation in tournament wins with five. One of his most impressive performances came at the Bite/Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Tournament in April, where he broke a 27-year-old course record by 10 strokes when he carded a 199 (67-64-68). He also tied the course record at the Houstonian Golf Club when he scored a 66 at the WAC Championships.
During the season, Watney recorded six consecutive sub-70 rounds and recorded 10 top 10 finishes. He was selected the 2003 WAC Player of the Year, becoming the first player in conference history to earn the award three times.
Carlotti was one of the most dominant women's tennis players in the nation this season. She earned singles All-America honors for the second year in a row, becoming the first Bulldog ever to earn the award more than once. In addition, she was the WAC Player of the Year and a first-team All-WAC honoree in singles and doubles.
A native of Paris, France, Carlotti went 29-8 in singles and was ranked among the top 10 players in the nation for nearly the entire year. She was just as dominant in doubles, going 20-3 with partner Lucia Tallo, the tandem achieving a top 15 national ranking. Carlotti participated in both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Tournaments.
 Chloe Carlotti became the first player in program history to earn singles All-America honors more than once.  | |
Carlotti constructed a 10-match winning streak in singles during the year, and went over two months ? from March 15 through May 20 ? without tasting defeat one time. In doubles, Carlotti, with Tallo, won 14 in a row at one point during the season.
Watney is just the third golfer ever to earn Male Athlete of the Year honors, and the first since Tim Norris in 1980.
Carlotti joins former women's tennis player Dora Djilianova as the only non-softball players to be voted Female Athlete of the Year since 1990. Djilianova earned the honor in 1999. Carlotti and Djilianova are the only women's tennis players ever to be named Female Athlete of the Year.
