2010-11 Utah Men's Golf Team
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Utah Golf Quick Facts Roster Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Name Class Hometown Metro Population: 1,333,914 Derek Adams Sr. Lake Havasu, Ariz. Elevation: 4,657 feet Ben Bankhead Fr. McKinney, Texas President: Michael K. Young Mike Branca Sr. Salt Lake City, Utah Outlook Director of Athletics: Dr. Chris Hill Andrew Etzel Jr. Murray, Utah Coaches Founded: 1850 Chase Hite Sr. Tucson, Ariz. The Utes Review Enrollment: 29,051 Cody Hughes So. Ashland City, Tenn. U. of U. Nickname: Utes Jeff Kitches Sr. Salt Lake City, Utah Colors: Crimson and White Manuel Ortega Jr. Riverside, Calif. Mascot: Swoop (Red-tailed Hawk) Joe Webber Jr. Ogden, Utah Conference: Mountain West Conference Affiliation: NCAA Division I Website: www.UtahUtes.com 2010-11 Schedule Sept. 19-20 USAF Gene Miranda Falcon Invite Ute Administration Sept. 27-28 Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational Director of Athletics: Dr. Chris Hill Oct. 1-2 New Mexico William H. Tucker Invite Associate AD/Sports Information: Liz Abel Associate AD/SWA: Mary Bowman Oct. 11-12 Weber St./Utah Purple and Red Invite Assistant AD/Ticketing: Zack Lassiter Oct. 25-26 New Mexico State Herb Wimberly Invitational Associate AD/Internal Operations: Pete Oliszczak Associate AD/External Operations: Doug Knuth Jan. 31-Feb. 1 Arizona Intercollegiate Feb. 16-18 University of Hawaii John Burns Intercollegiate Coaching Staff Mar. 21-22 University of Arizona NIT Head Coach: Randall McCracken Phone: 801.585.1041 March 24-25 San Diego State Barona Cup E-mail: [email protected] Apr. 4-5 University of Wyoming Cowboy Classic Assistant Coach: Andrew Mecham Apr. 15-16 BYU Cougar Classic Phone: 801.815.3230 E-mail: [email protected] May 5-7 MWC Championships 2009-10 Review 2009-10 MWC Finish: 9th/9 Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 6/1 Newcomers: 2 Athletic Communications Director: Liz Abel Associate Director: Kyle Harris Assistant Director: Brooke Frederickson Assistant Director: Mike DeVine Office Manager: Kate Sturgeon Credits The 2010-11 University of Utah golf guide was designed by Mike Golf Contact: Emily Radivoyevich DeVine, Assistant Athletic Communications Director. Written by Office Phone: 801.581.3510 student assistant Emily Radivoyevich and DeVine. Edited by Utah Mobile Phone: 801.647.0153 Athletic Communications. Photography by Steve Wilson. E-Mail: [email protected] 2010-11 Utah Golf Media Guide 1 With a good dose of experience returning to the “Chase is one of the most talented collegiate players to come University of Utah men’s golf team, head coach Randall through this program,” McCracken stated. “He has a great short McCracken leads a stable of talented Ute players into game, and has learned to use his great putting mechanics. We the 2010-11 season. McCracken also welcomes to the look for great things from Chase this year.” team new assistant coach Andrew Mecham, a top-notch golf professional with eight years experience under his Branca performed especially well at the USAFA Gene Miranda belt, as well as a University of Utah alumnus. McCracken Falcon Invitational last season. Finishing the fi rst round of the anticipates strong competition and challenges the Utes to tournament with a career low of 65, Branca posted a fi ve- step up their consistency. under-par score of 211 (65-72-74), which helped him reach his highest career fi nish (third). Branca’s top fi nish of the fall The team’s four returning seniors are Derek Adams of Lake season tied him for 12th at the New Mexico William H. Tucker Havasu, Ariz., Mike Branca of Salt Lake City, Chase Hite of Invitational at 220 (74-74-72). Tucson, Ariz., and Jeff Kitches of Sandy, Utah. “Mike is a really confi dent player, which is great to see,” Adams’ top career fi nish came last season in fourth-place at McCracken noted. “He is powerful and has great ball striking. Season Preview the Wyoming Desert Classic, fi nishing two-under-par at 214 His putting is also really impressive.” (71-71-72). During the fall season of this year, Adams’ best performance was at the New Mexico State Herb Wimberly Kitches’ improvements throughout his year as a Ute have Invitational, where he tied for 16th with a two-over-par helped him reach his best career fi nish during this fall’s Purple score of 218 (76-74-68). and Red Invitational. Even with par, Kitches posted a mark of 216 (72-74-70), which tied for 15th. Last season, Kitches “Derek has really improved his golf game these past few played a career low of 67 during round one of the USAFA Gene seasons,” commented McCracken. “He has been able to be Miranda Falcon Invitational. more in control of his game and his scoring. I expect him to be one of the top fi nishers on the team this season.” “I have seen constant and steady improvement in Jeff , he is like a new player,” remarked McCracken. “He has overcome not Hite also had his best career fi nish last season, when having total belief in himself and I think this year will be one of he placed tied for fi fth with a score of 214 (72-75-67) his best. Jeff has a great mental game and is a consistent leader at the San Diego State Barona Cup. The third round of and traveler.” the tournament was his career-low round. Hite also had a notable performance at the 2009 Purple and Red Invitational, where his one-over-par score of 217 (71-72-74) helped him tie for 14th. Senior Derek Adams tied for fourth place at the Senior Chase Hite shot a career-low round (67) on the Wyoming Desert Classic last season. fi nal day of last season’s Barona Cup. 2010-11 Utah Golf Media Guide 1 Three returning juniors add to the talented team, including A transfer from Cumberland University in Lebanon Tenn., Andrew Etzel of Murray, Utah, Manuel Ortega of Riverside, Hughes is in his fi rst season as a Ute. His season low of 73 at the Calif., and Joe Webber of Sandy Utah. New additions to the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational tied him for 69th with a team are sophomore Cody Hughes of Ashland City, Tenn., score of 233 (83-77-73). and freshman Ben Bankhead of McKinney, Texas. Outlook “Cody is fi ery and has a lot of control over his game and has a Coaches Although Etzel has yet to compete this season, his top good understanding of it” remarked McCracken. “He is a great The Utes fi nish during the 2009 season was 49th-place at the Utah addition to our seniors and I can see him being one of our Review Collegiate Shootout (84-77-161). The second round of the predominate players on the team.” U. of U. tournament was his career low. Bankhead is a promising new addition to the team, coming “Andrew is very coachable and I have enjoyed seeing him from McKinney Boyd High School in McKinney, Texas, with a improve,” said McCracken. “He has a great swing and could 73.2 scoring average. Bankhead had his top fi nish of the fall really be developed into a phenomenal player.” season at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, where his three round score of 226 (78-74-74), tied him for 45th. Ortega’s low round of 67 at the USAFA Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational (67-78-78) helped him reach his top “Ben is a stellar player and is already eager to learn more,” career fi nish tied for 50th with a mark of 223. McCracken noted. “He is positive, has had an easy transition to collegiate play, and I can really see him improving fast.” “Manuel has a great swing and takes coaching advice really well,” McCracken stated. “I am glad to be able to work with Last season, the Utes didn’t have a standout senior on the team such a positive player.” to fi ght for the top spot. This year, McCracken would like to see Season Preview more consistency and competition among the players. Webber, who will redshirt this year, was also a MWC Academic All-Conference honoree. His fi rst and third-round “These guys are all great players to have, but I want to see scores of 71 (71-72-71-214) at the BYU Cougar Classic more consistency in their weekly performance,” McCracken helped him tie for 10th place, the best fi nish of his career. expressed. “Joe redshirted this year because I wanted to give him The Utes are scheduled to play 11 tournaments this year before a chance to really develop his game,” commented competing in the MWC Championships, May 5-7, in Tucson, McCracken. Ariz. The team’s top fi nish of the fall was at the Colorado Mark Simpson Invitational in ninth-place with a score of 898 (304- 300-294). To start the spring season, the Utes will be competing in the Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2011. Junior Andrew Etzel fi nished 49th at the Utah Collegiate Sophomore Cody Hughes’ low round of the fall Shootout last spring. season came with a 73 at the Mark SImpson Colorado Invitational. 2 2010-11 Utah Golf Media Guide Randall McCracken Head Coach • Seventh Season Randall McCracken is in his seventh season at the helm of the University of Utah golf program. Outlook He took over as the Utes’ head golf coach on Coaches July 15, 2004. The Utes McCracken came to the U. from Utah Valley Review State College, where he had served as the head U. of U. men’s golf coach for two seasons.