Feb. 15, 2005

Gonzaga head coach Robert Gray enters his sixth season with the Bulldogs coaching one of his youngest teams to date. The men's and women's programs have only three upperclassmen between them with Matt Munroe the men's lone senior and Libby Campbell the women's lone senior. Ashley Shearer is a junior on the women's team but she is playing golf for the first time in her collegiate career after two years on the GU women's basketball team.

"We definitely have a lot of young faces on our roster this year," stated Gray on the youthfulness of his team. "We could take some lumps this season on the golf course, however I expect both programs to be competitive despite their youth. Ultimately, in the long run, playing a lot of sophomores and freshmen this season will only make us better in the coming years. The future definitely looks bright."

Munroe returns to lead a Bulldogs team that has placed sixth in two of the last three West Coast Conference Championships. As a freshman Munroe earned honorable mention All-WCC honors but has not been able to repeat that performance since then.

"Matt has been one of our most consistent players during his career usually ranking in the top three scores for our team. In addition to being the team captain, he's a quality player who brings leadership and confidence to the course. The way he carries himself on the golf course is an excellent example for the younger players to follow," Gray lauded on the career of his lone men's senior.

Joining Munroe from last year's squad are sophomores John Bergren, Jimmy Hayes and Ryan Miller.

Hayes played for the Bulldogs in the WCC Championships finishing 32nd. All three players competed in at least 11 rounds last season with Hayes competing in 25 rounds.

"All three of those guys played well for us during certain points of the year," mentioned Gray on his sophomore class. "I expect all three of those guys to elevate their games to the next level this year."

Joining the four returning Bulldogs are sophomore Trevor Loe, a transfer from the University of San Diego, and Reyn Tanaka, a freshman from Hawai'i.

"Trevor and Reyn are talented newcomers who will make an immediate impact on the team," added Gray. "While we may be a young team in terms of college experience, we definitely are not young in terms of talent level. All seven of these guys will have to battle each week to win one of those five travel spots. When they play up to their abilities, we'll be competing for titles."

The women's roster is also dotted with five young faces as the Bulldogs have one senior and one junior on the roster. Despite their lack of upper class leadership, Gonzaga's bread and butter this season will be the play of its two sophomores, Mary Kate Morgan and Jennifer Swanson.

"Mary Kate and Jennifer should be our top two golfers this season with all the experience they received last year," Gray said of his talented sophomore class. "Mary Kate is on her way to being the top golfer in school history while Jennifer continues to elevate her game and gain more consistency over last year."

Senior Libby Campbell is the only other returning face for the GU women's team after the Bulldogs lost four seniors to graduation. Campbell has played in a handful of tournaments each of the past few years and serves as a team leader.

Gonzaga's success or lack thereof this season will depend on the maturation of its two recruited incoming freshmen - Lacey Jo Manwaring and Sarah Sheffield. Both had successful high school careers and are expected to compete immediately for one of the five travel spots available.

"Both of our new ladies have the ability to step right into our travel squad and compete in a strong tournament schedule," stated Gray on his incoming class. "While they may not have the success they're accustomed to from their high school careers, competing in the tournaments this season will make both players better and help our program down the road. I expect both to make every travel squad and by the end of the year we could have all underclassmen competing in tournaments."

Rounding out the Bulldogs roster is junior Ashley Shearer, a transplant from the GU women's basketball team and Sarah Clarke, a freshman walk-on.

All-in-all the Bulldogs will have their work cut out for them on both the men's and women's sides as a multitude of freshmen and sophomores could represent Gonzaga in any number of tournaments. While the results may not be as high as expected this year, the lessons learned by the Gonzaga youth should translate into success over the next couple of years and help lay the foundation for a stronger Gonzaga golf program.