Noblesville, Ind. – In the midst of an impressive run at the NCAA Division II National Championships, the Chico State men’s golf program is earning high distinction as well. Head Coach T.L. Brown was named the Golf Pride Division II West Region Coach of the Year, and Kyle Souza, Lucas Delgado, Sylvester Gama, and Eric Frazzetta earned Division II Ping All-West Region honors, the Golf Coaches Association of America announced Thursday.
Brown, whose stated goal from his first day on the job at Chico State has been to lead the Wildcats to a national title, currently has them in the hunt for that trophy. They entered Friday’s final round with a one-shot lead.
Souza, a finalist for the prestigious Palmer Cup team as just a sophomore, earns his second straight Ping All-West Region honor, as does the senior Delgado. Gama is also a senior and Frazzetta a sophomore.
This is the latest in a long string of awards for the aforementioned Wildcats. They were each named to the All-CCAA team this season. And last season, Delgado was named the CCAA Player of the Year, while Souza was named the CCAA’s Newcomer of the Year. Delgado also garnered CCAA Newcomer of the Year and All-CCAA honors the year before.
The Wildcats’ strong showing at the National Championships caps what has been a remarkable season. They’ve been ranked among the nation’s top five teams throughout the season thanks to finishes of fifth or better in all 11 tournaments they played in 2009-10.
Prior to this season, Brown led the Wildcats to consecutive NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional berths. Last year’s squad finished the season ranked 17th in the nation and came within a stroke of competing for the NCAA D-II crown. And Brandon Harkins, the third straight Wildcat to earn CCAA Newcomer of the Year honors, finished 27th at the NCAA Championships, representing the team as an individual.
Under Brown’s tutelage, Chico State has won six tournaments and recorded 25 top-five finishes in just three seasons. They’ve boasted 10 All-CCAA selections, including three Newcomer of the Year honors and a Player of the Year award, and nine Ping All-West Region recipients. Brown was named the CCAA Coach of the Year in 2009.
Brown came to Chico State from South Mountain Community College in Arizona, where he was the men’s head coach from 1999-2007. Brown led the program to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national title in 2004 and his Cougars teams finished second in the nation in 2003 and 2007.
Brown led South Mountain to six regional titles in his last seven years at the helm. He also coached a combined 20 academic or athletic All-Americans during his tenure. In 2006-07, Brown’s squad finished second in the nation thanks to a freshman class that Golfstat ranked No. 1 among all junior college programs in the nation.
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