Idaho men’s golf preseason No. 1 in Big Sky, a little banged up to start season
Rankings don’t mean much to some people and Idaho men’s golf coach John Means is one of those people.
The Idaho men’s golf team was picked to win the Big Sky Conference Championship in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches Poll, but Means said he doesn’t think much about this. Idaho received five first-place votes and 47 total points in the preseason poll.
File Photo by Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Senior Aaron Cockerill pitches out of the bunker during Tuesday’s practice at Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman. Cockerill finished tied for 14th overall at the Doc Gimmler Golf Tournament at Bethpage Red Course in Farmindale, New York. Idaho finished 3rd overall and will compete in the Itani Classic at Palouse Ridge Monday and Tuesday.
“I would rather be the favorite to win the NCAA Championship,” Means said.
Sophomore Jared du Toit isn’t too excited about the preseason honor either.
“It’s obviously pretty cool to be recognized like that, be the big dogs for a little bit anyway,” du Toit said. “I think we just have to stay focused and keep our eye on the prize and don’t let the foot off the gas at all.”
The Big Sky is sponsoring men’s golf for the first time since 2002. Last season, Idaho finished second at the WAC Championship. The Vandals open their spring season Friday through Sunday when they play in the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in Palm Desert, California.
Twenty-four teams, including Idaho, are scheduled to participate in the invitational. Oregon, which fin- ished the fall season ranked No. 1 in the nation according to the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Coaches Poll, will be one of the teams competing.
Southern Utah, which finished second in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches Poll with two first-place votes and 43 total points, will also be at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate.
Northern Colorado, which tied for fifth with Weber State out of the eight Big Sky men’s golf teams in the preseason poll, rounds out the Big Sky schools expected to compete in Palm Desert this weekend.
Means said the starting five golfers for Idaho this weekend are senior Aaron Cockerill, junior Rylee Iacolucci, sophomores du Toit and Ryan Porch and freshman Dan Sutton.
Means said senior Sean McMullen, former WAC Freshman of the Year, tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his knee in January and will probably miss the season. Means said it is possible McMullen will receive a medical redshirt this season.
Cockerill said he is good friends with McMullen and hopes he can return.
“It’s horrible,” Cockerill said. “I hope he can come back. I don’t know if he can, but I hope that’s not how he ends his career … It’s just not really the same without him.”
Means also said du Toit suffered a back injury about three weeks ago while lifting weights. Du Toit said it is nothing serious, but it does annoy him while he takes a golf swing. Du Toit led the Vandals in the fall season as he recorded a conference-best 69.2 strokes per round average.
He also won the Southern Dunes Invitational in the fall by carding a 10-under-par 206. Idaho won the invitational as a team by 17 strokes.
Cockerill, who said he is turning pro when he is done at Idaho, averaged 70.8 strokes per round in the fall season, which was second-best in the conference.
Since Cockerill is a senior, he said he cherishes the tournaments and moments like those ones.
“I guess it makes you want to work a little harder, practice a little harder and just everything knowing that’s the last semester,” Cockerill said. “This is our last chance at it.”
Garrett Cabeza can be reached at [email protected]