May 7, 2002
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STORYLINE: Fresh off back-to-back wins, the UNLV men's golf team advances to its 14th consecutive postseason appearance with the announcement of the field for the NCAA West Regional Tournament today. The Rebels are the No. 17 seed in the tourney and begin play on Thursday, May 16 at the UNM Championship Course (Par 72--7,368 Yards) in Albuquerque, N.M.
THE FORMAT: The tournament is scheduled for 54 holes, with 18 to be played on each of three days. Tee times will begin at 7:12 a.m. MDT daily. A practice round, which is open to the media, will be played on Wednesday, May 15 at 8 a.m. The top 10 teams and two individuals not already advancing will qualify for the NCAA Championships, scheduled for May 29 to June 1 at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio.
THE FIELD: The Rebels will meet their toughest competition of any event this season. Of the 27 teams selected to participate by the NCAA men's golf committee, eight are ranked among the top 25 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, and five from the Mountain West Conference make a repeat appearance. New Mexico serves as the host for: Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, California, Central Connecticut State, Colorado State, Detroit, Fresno State, Illinois State, IUPUI, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio State, Oregon, Pacific, Pepperdine, San Diego State, Southern California, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, UC Irvine, UCLA, UNLV, Washington and Washington State. Earning individual invitations were Chris Baryla (UTEP), Ben Leetsma (Air Force), David Yarnes (Oregon State), Brandon Hillpot (UC Riverside), Mike Urbatchka (Wyoming) and Eric Billinger (Denver).
THE LINEUP: UNLV's lineup for the NCAA West Regional Tournament will be the same as it has been for the past four tournaments: senior Clark Corbett, junior Brien Davis, sophomore Brandon Askew and freshmen J.C. Deacon, and Ryan Moore.
ABOUT UNLV: The Rebels' are playing their best golf of the year heading into the NCAA West Regional. UNLV won the Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus, Ohio, shooting eight-over par through the event's first two rounds before the final 18 holes were cancelled due to rain. Clark Corbett tied for second individually while teammates Ryan Moore, Brandon Askew and J.C. Deacon all posted top-10 finishes. Two weeks later, UNLV held off the pack at the Mountain West Conference Championship to take its second league title in three years. Deacon tied for second place overall and Moore followed in fifth. With another victory, the Rebels would match the school record for consecutive team wins at three.
HEAD COACH DWAINE KNIGHT: UNLV men's golf head coach Dwaine Knight is in his 15th season as the Rebels' skipper. During his tenure, UNLV has been a perennial power with six league championships, 12 NCAA Championship appearances, and the 1998 national title. The only coach in the country to twice claim GCAA National Coach of the Year honors in the 1990s (1991 and 1998), Knight has produced 15 All-Americans and sent four players to the PGA Tour (Jeremy Anderson, Chad Campbell, Ed Fryatt, Chris Riley).
