Anteaters Shoot Into Spotlight at NCAA Golf Finals

Want to win a bet with some golfing buddies? Ask them which California school is seeded highest in the NCAA championships beginning today at Duke University Golf Club.

Likely answers would be USC, UCLA or Stanford. You might also hear Pepperdine, San Diego State or California. But it’s unlikely you’d hear the correct answer: UC Irvine. The Anteaters are seeded seventh, higher than any other California school.

UCI, led by a strong sophomore class, won its first Big West title, finished third in the NCAA West Regional and qualified for the NCAA championships for only the second time in school history. Irvine is also one of four California schools to qualify for the NCAAs. Pacific, Stanford and UCLA are seeded Nos. 12, 21 and 23, respectively.

“I think we’ve definitely surprised some people,” Irvine Coach Paul Smolinski said. “Look at all the great Southern California schools. I think we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished and the guys enjoyed going up [to the West Regional] and beating some of the more popular programs.”

Anteater players say they’re not surprised by the success, only that it came so early.

Last year, Smolinski brought in an impressive recruiting class that included Mike Lavery, Jeff Coburn and Ryan Armstrong, who were all highly ranked junior players. They had hopes of reaching the NCAA finals by the time they graduated.

This year, those three have emerged as the top players on the team and with senior Eric Wang providing experience and leadership and freshman Justin Ohye, another prize recruit, adding depth, Irvine has become a force.

“We have talented players,” said Armstrong, who passed up UCLA, Nevada Las Vegas and Pacific to play at Irvine. “We’re coming together sooner than expected. We didn’t expect to go to nationals this year.”

It’s easy to see why Irvine gets lost in the California golf landscape. Pepperdine won a national title in 1997. USC has produced prominent players such as Al Geiberger, Scott Simpson and Craig Stadler.

Corey Pavin and Steve Pate are among the long list of UCLA alums on the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods and Tom Watson are Stanford’s most famous golf alums.

“We’re not exactly known for our golf program,” said Lavery, an Irvine High graduate who leads the team with a 73.83 stroke average. “We don’t get ranked because we don’t get into the big tournaments and we were seeded 22nd out of 27 teams in the regionals. We just needed to show everyone that we were good.”

It took the Big West title and the third-place finish in the West Regional, but Irvine finally made its debut in the top 50 this week at No. 46--still behind No. 7 USC, No. 28 San Diego State, No. 31 Pepperdine, No. 2 UCLA, No. 6 Stanford and No. 9 California.

With a list of practice courses that includes Coto de Caza, Big Canyon, Pelican Hill, Oak Creek, Strawberry Farms and Santa Ana Country Club, Irvine offers plenty of attractions to golfers.

Still, trying to get top players has proved difficult for Smolinski, who learned that some players don’t want a school without a big name.

“Recruiting has definitely been a challenge,” said Smolinski. “But we have a lot of great things to offer.”