UCI’s John, Jane Chin get top Big West honor

UC Irvine senior Jane Chin and junior John Chin have been chosen Big West Conference Players of the Year in women’s and men’s golf, respectively.

Jane Chin has seven top-10 finishes this season, including tournament wins at the Kent Youel Invitational in Hawaii, an invitational in Las Cruces, N.M., and the Coast BMW Intercollegiate at Monarch Dunes in San Luis Obispo.

She entered the week ranked No. 1 nationally by Golfstat and seventh in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. She finished second in the Big West Conference Championship that concluded Tuesday at the San Luis Obispo Country Club.

John Chin was also Big West Player of the Year as a sophomore. He has six top-10 finishes in 2008-09. He was second at the Anteater Invitational at El Niguel Country Club and the Del Walker Intercollegiate at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach.

He finished 14th in this year’s conference championship.

Senior Sean Shahi was named second-team all-conference and men’s teammate Roberto Francioni shared Freshman of the Year laurels with Long Beach State’s Kevin Lim.

Junior Patty Chawalitmetha, sophomore Hillary Packard and freshman Joy Trotter, represented UCI on the women’s all-conference second team.

— From staff reports