Uconn Golf Top Finishes
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GOLF 2018-19 SENIOR CO-CAPTAIN SENIOR NABEEL CO-CAPTAIN KHAN JIMMY HERVOL UNIVERSITYUCONN GOLF OF CONNECTICUT (L-R): Drake Hull, Zach Iannone, Nabeel Khan, Chandler Morris, Nick Hampoian, Jimmy Hervol, Rodrigo Sanchez, Finn Boyn- ton, Nick Harrington, Tim Umphrey, Jack Boulger, Blake Kelley. 2018-19 University of Connecticut Men’s Golf Team Name Cl. Hometown/Last School Jimmy Hervol* Senior Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton HS Nabeel Khan* Senior Westerville, Ohio/Columbus Academy Nick Harrington Senior Chaplin, Conn./Parish Hill HS Blake Kelley Senior Manchester, Conn./Manchester HS Zach Iannone R-Junior Hamden, Conn./Notre Dame-West Haven HS Drake Hull R-Junior Rutland, Vt./University of Kansas Tim Umphrey Junior Northborough, Mass./Saint John’s HS Chandler Morris R-Sophomore Hobe Sound, Fla./The Benjamin School Jack Boulger Sophomore Walpole, Mass./Xaverian Brothers HS Finn Boynton Sophomore Milford, Conn./Notre Dame-West Haven Rodrigo Sanchez Sophomore Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep./Carol Morgan School Nick Hampoian Freshman North Reading, Mass./Austin Prep * --- Co-captains Head Coach: Dave Pezzino (12th year) Assistant Coach: Jon Wortmann 2018-19 UCONN GOLF UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUTUCONN GOLF Dave PEZZINO Head Coach 12th season As UConn men’s golf coach Dave Pezzino works in his 12th season as head of the program, there can be little doubt about how UConn golf has been elevated under his watch in every aspect – academically, course scheduling, competitiveness, and the level of competition. Top 5 finishes have become the norm and Top 10s almost taken for granted for the Huskies under Pezzino, as have academic excellence, play on top-level courses and facing some of the best teams in college golf. The 2017-18 season proved to be more of the same, as Pezzino guided the Huskies to six Top 5 finishes, including a victory in the 2017 Connecticut Cup, the 11th tournament victory by a UConn team under Pezzino. The Husky coach had another player selected All-Conference, two picked as All-Northeast region, a second consecutive PGA Minority Collegiate Champion, two Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars, nine players named to the American Conference All-Academic Team, an 18Birdies All-Academic Team Award, as well as the program’s 13th consecutive NCAA Public Recognition Award (given each year to teams with an APR in the top 10 percent of their respective sports). As if those accolades weren’t enough, the Huskies also made their first trip off the U.S. mainland, competing at the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate in Maui, Hawaii, and made their first appearance in the prestigious Clemson Invitational, besides hosting their own tournament for the ninth consecutive year. Pezzino will take the Huskies back to both the Ka’anapali Classic and the Clemson Invitational this coming season. first title under Pezzino. Jeb Buchanan also became the first individual medalist under “I have tried to challenge our team with the schedule and I think it has really Coach Pezzino when he won the Adams Cup of Newport by shooting three successive paid off for us,” Pezzino said. “By playing tough competition and great layouts, our scores of 69. He was also named the Golfweek Magazine National Player of the Week. squad learns how to compete and, more importantly, learns how to win.” UConn finished sixth in the team competition against a standout field at the Adams Individually, Jimmy Hervol and Tim Umphrey each captured medalist honors, in Cup, despite having only four players for the final two rounds due to injury. the FAU Spring Invitational and the Lehigh Valley Collegiate, respectively, the eighth In the Fall of 2011, Pezzino and the Huskies captured another tournament title, and ninth individual in-season tournament champions under Pezzino. Combined, the winning the Hartford Hawks Invitational by eight strokes as Buchanan won individual Huskies totaled 12 Top 10 finishes in 2017-18. Post-season, Nabeel. Khan won the medalist honors. That victory was the start of an outstanding three-tourney stretch PGA Minority Collegiate Championship for the second consecutive year. that saw the Huskies finish third at The Connecticut Cup and second at The Classic The season was a continuation of the success that Pezzino has built at UConn. at Shelter Harbor. In 2016-17, he took the Huskies to three tournament wins – at the Loyola Pezzino came to UConn after spending one year as an assistant coach at the Intercollegiate, the Lafayette Collegiate Invitational, and UConn’s own VGA/UConn University of Illinois and 11 previous seasons as a head coach at the collegiate level. Collegiate Invitational -- and eight finishes among the Top 5 in 11 events. He had Pezzino spent seven years, from August of 1999 to May of 2006, at Florida Interna- two players selected All-Conference, three selected All-New England, and two picked tional as the head coach of the women’s golf program. He led FIU to four tourna- All-Northeast Region. ment victories and 10 individual titles during his tenure and coached 10 All-Sun Belt Two years ago in 2015-16, Pezzino guided the Huskies to the finest season of Conference selections, including 2001 NGCA All-American Michelle Simpson. He had his tenure up to that point with two tournament victories in the same season for the three student-athletes earn Academic All-American recognition and five former team first time, seven Top 10 finishes in 11 events, and honors as New England Division I members that are currently playing professionally. Team and Coach of the Year. During his time at Florida International, Pezzino also worked at the Jim McLean Under Pezzino, who took over the program on Aug. 24, 2007, UConn has had an Golf School at Doral Golf Resort, one of the premier golf teaching facilities in the impressive 52 players named Conference Academic All-Stars (24 Big East, 28 American world. He earned the status of master instructor, one of few instructors in the country Athletic), three Big East and four American All-Conference picks, 13 All-Northeast to reach that level for McLean. Region selections, 11 All-New England picks, and a New England All-Rookie Team Pezzino played his collegiate golf at St. Thomas University in Miami, where he selection. became a student-head coach during his senior year of 1996-97. Upon graduation, Pezzino also guided the Huskies to an outstanding season in 2014-15, as the he continued to serve as the head men’s coach at St. Thomas until August, 1999. team had Top 10 finishes in eight of the 10 regular-season tournaments, five of He led St. Thomas to consecutive NAIA National Championship appearances in 1998 them in the Top 5. The season was highlighted by a second consecutive victory in and 1999, and was named Florida Sun Conference Coach of the Year in ’98, leading UConn’s own Connecticut Cup, second-place finishes in both the FAU Slomin Autism the squad to the conference title. He coached six individuals to all-conference honors Championship and the Til Duty Is Done Collegiate Invitational, and third-place finishes during his tenure. in both the Hartford Hawks Invitational and the Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge. Pezzino has worked with three of Golf Digest’s Top 100 Instructors, and eight Pezzino’s 2013-14 squad had an excellent season, recording Top 10 finishes in of his former student-athletes are golf professionals on various tours. all 11 of its regular-season tournaments, six of them in the Top 5, including a team Pezzino was born on 3/22/72 in North Haven, Conn. He attended Northern title in The Connecticut Cup. In 2012-13, Pezzino nutured a young squad to nine Top Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, N.J., while living in Mahwah, N.J. He 10 finishes in 12 tournaments, four of them in the Top 5, including a team title in the earned his bachelor’s degree in sports administration from St. Thomas in 1997. New England D-I Championships. Dave and his wife, Kristy, were married in 1998. They are the parents of two sets The fall of 2009 saw the Huskies capture the New England Championship, the of twins: Joseph and Matthew, born 2/26/04, and Daniel and Kaitlin, born 4/23/09. 2018-19 UCONN GOLF UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OFOF CONNECTICUTCONNECTICUT UCONN GOLF UConn four- year players, from left, Nabeel Khan, Jimmy Hervol, Zach Iannone, Blake Kelley and Nick Har- rington. Veteran Husky Team Embraces High Expectations Take a college golf program that has our guys has been extremely difficult. With from Kansas, played his first full season with lifted itself to a higher level over the past few so much experience, it allows us to focus on the Huskies last year and ranked behind only years. Add a roster that returns 11 players other areas of player development and that’s Hervol in scoring average on the team. from a successful season. very exciting.” There is no shortage of talent vying The result? An expectation of success The Huskies will led by seniors Jimmy for places in the Huskies’ lineup. Junior Tim that the UConn men’s golf team has perhaps Hervol and Nabeel Khan, co-captains for Umphrey captured his first tourney cham- never before felt heading into a season. the second consecutive season. pionship last season, winning a three-way That’s what faces the 2018-19 edition of the Hervol is on his way to becoming one playoff at the Lehigh Valley Collegiate, while Huskies as they look out on the challenge of of the finest all-around golfers in UConn sophomore Rodrigo Sanchez picked up a an 11-event schedule and perhaps postsea- history. The Hopkinton, Mass., native set a wealth of experience after playing in nine son play.