July 17, 2003
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STORYLINE: It was business as usual for 16th-year head coach Dwaine Knight and the UNLV men's golf team in 2002-03 with the school's 15th consecutive postseason apperance and a top-10 finish in the national rankings marking the program's highlights. The Rebels posted one team victory (Turtle Bay Intercollegiate) and one individual medalist (Ryan Moore at the Toyota Men's Collegiate Championship), and had a half-dozen top-three finishes. At one point, UNLV climbed as high as No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index and finished the year a concensus top-10 choice.
ABOUT UNLV: The Rebels return eight letterwinners and four starters next season for head coach Dwaine Knight. Seniors Brien Davis and Calvin Kupeyan depart, leaving a competitive bunch to vie for a starting role. Juniors-to-be Ryan Moore and Travis Whisman both earned recognition at the regional level and will give UNLV a lethal one-two punch at the top of the lineup. JC Deacon will also be a junior contender, and sophomore-to-be Ryan Keeney carries postseason experience. Both Mitch Carlson and Troy Denton played competitive rounds last year and will have to tangle with a talented trio of incoming freshman -- local product Matt Edwards, Florida phenom Andy Leadbetter and international star Sam Hunt. UNLV will enjoy a little more depth on next year's roster than it has had in recent years.
MORE ON MOORE: Sophomore star Ryan Moore claimed All-America honors for the second straight year after improving his already jaw-dropping resume. The Puyallup, Wash., native was a finalist for the Hogan Award, presented annually to the top collegiate player in men's golf. He was selected to the U.S. Palmer Cup squad and collected his first collegiate victory at home in the Toyota Men's Collegiate Championship. At 20, Moore has already played in two PGA major championships -- the U.S. Open and The Masters. And he was chosen as the UNLV Olympic Sportsman of the Year for the second straight season.
HEAD COACH Dwaine Knight: UNLV men's golf head coach Dwaine Knight completed his 16th year at the helm of the Rebel program. During his tenure, UNLV has been a perennial power with six league championships, 14 NCAA finals appearances and the 1998 national title. Last year's MWC Coach of the Year was the only mentor to twice claim GCAA National Coach of the Year honors in the 1990s (1991 and 1998). He has produced an amazing 31 All-Americans and guided five different players to the PGA Tour at UNLV.
