‘Eaters open season at Pacific Invitational

The UC Irvine men’s golf team begins its 2003-04 schedule with two

tournaments in five days next week.

Coach Paul Smolinski’s Anteaters compete in the Pacific

Invitational at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton Monday and

Tuesday, then journey to Corvallis, Ore., for the Northwest

Collegiate Classic at Trysting Tree Golf Club Thursday and Friday.

The UCI roster features only one senior (Vinnie Poncino) as the

Anteaters look to win their fourth straight Big West Conference title

in 2004. The task will be tougher as three of the top four players

from last season’s squad have graduated, including Jeff Coburn, who

was the 2003 Big West Conference Player of the Year.

Poncino has the top returning average for the Anteaters at 72.92

from last season when he finished eighth in the Big West

championships. Poncino had four top-10 finishes in 2002-03.

Sophomore Ryne Rindfleisch posted a 74.40 average through 20

rounds last season while sophomore Jay Choe averaged 74.83. Choe

competed in the United States Amateur championship this past August.

Sophomores Ryan Cole and Will Park each played in one tournament

last season while junior Nate Yates redshirted.

Two freshmen who have joined the program this year and could crack

the starting lineup are Neno Boonyaplanun and Chris Whalen.

Boonyaplanun was an All-Pacific Coast League and All-CIF player at

University High, while Whalen competed on league, CIF and sectional

championship teams at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View.

Smolinski enters his sixth season as head coach at UCI. He has led

the Anteaters to the last three Big West Conference titles and he has

earned Big West Coach of the Year honors each of those seasons. He

also has guided the program to the last three NCAA West regionals.