Monday, May 16
Bryan, Texas
Pepperdine University
at
NCAA Bryan Regional
Joey Vrzich
Photo by: Roger Horne
Men's Golf Begins Title Defense at NCAA Bryan Regional
5/12/2022 9:40:00 AM | Men's Golf
MALIBU, California — The defending NCAA champion and #4-ranked Pepperdine men's golf team begins defense of its title as the #1 seed at the upcoming NCAA Regional in Bryan, Texas. The Waves are coming off their fourth consecutive victory at the West Coast Conference Championships.
EVENT INFO — The NCAA Bryan Regional will be held at the par-72, 7,227-yard Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas. There will be a single round of golf each day between Monday and Wednesday (May 16-18). Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.
Pepperdine will be paired with host Texas A&M and Georgia for Monday's first round and they'll start on the first tee at 7:30 a.m. CT.
The top five teams and the low individual on a non-advancing team will qualify for the NCAA finals, set for May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
FIELD — In order of seeding, the 13 teams competing at the regional are Pepperdine, host Texas A&M, Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas, Arizona, Michigan State, SMU, Boise State, Oregon State, Colorado State, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas Southern.
LINEUP — Pepperdine's lineup consists of junior Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS), senior Joey Vrzich (El Cajon, Calif./Christian HS/Nevada), senior Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School), junior William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS) and senior Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School). Freshman Ian Maspat (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) will travel as a potential substitute.
Four of the five Waves have previous NCAA Regional experience and all four were in the lineup for last year's regional. Vrzich has played in three in his career (T-26th in 2018 and T-42nd in 2019 at Nevada, and T-2nd in 2021), Highsmith has been in two (4th in 2019 and T-39th in 2021) and Menante (T-61st in 2021) and Mouw (T-16th in 2021) made their debuts last year. Hitchner will make his first NCAA appearance.
NCAA HISTORY — Pepperdine is making its seventh consecutive NCAA Regional appearance and its 26th all-time. This is the first time that the Waves have ever been the top seed at an NCAA Regional. The previous best was #2 last season, and before that it was #3 in 2019. The Waves have made it to the NCAA finals 11 times but are looking to qualify for three straight for the first time in program history.
The Waves won their first national championship in 1997 at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, Illinois, and then won again last season at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Those are two of the program's four top-10 finishes at nationals.
Pepperdine's best-ever NCAA Regional finish was third in 2017 at Stanford. Waves have won medalist honors at NCAA Regionals twice: current head coach Michael Beard in 2000 and Josh Anderson in 2012.
This is the second time Pepperdine has been sent to an NCAA Regional at the Traditions Club (the Waves were the #6 seed but finished seventh and did not advance in 2010).
RANKINGS — The Waves were picked as the nation's #1 team in the preseason in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll, and in Golf Channel's season preview. The Waves are currently #4 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #5 in the coaches poll and #6 by Golfstat.
Golfweek/Sagarin rankings (as of 5/8): Menante #31, Hitchner #55, Highsmith #59, Vrzich #60, Mouw #94.
Golfstat rankings (as of 5/8): Menante #25, Vrzich #67, Hitchner #70, Mouw #88, Highsmith #142.
PGA Tour University rankings (as of 5/11): Highsmith #12, Vrzich #14.
World Amateur Golf Ranking (as of 5/11): Menante #12, Highsmith #20, Vrzich #43, Hitchner #71, Mouw #86.
ALL-WCC — Dylan Menante repeated as WCC Player of the Year. He's the first Wave, and only the third WCC player, to repeat since coaches began voting on the award in 2008 ... Michael Beard won his sixth consecutive WCC Coach of the Year award (he's the only WCC men's golf coach ever to earn more than two in a row) ... The Waves' lineup took five of the 10 All-WCC first team slots, with Menante joined by Joe Highsmith, Derek Hitchner, William Mouw and Joey Vrzich.
INDIVIDUAL WINS — Three Pepperdine individuals have posted four victories this season ... Dylan Menante won twice in a row this spring. His first college win came at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational (by one), followed by the Western Intercollegiate (by three). He became the first Wave to win consecutive tournaments since Kevin Marsh in the fall of 1993 ... Joe Highsmith won his second college title with a 19-under 197, good for the third-best score in program history, at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in October ... Ian Maspat captured a title at a separate tournament for individuals at The Prestige with a 6-under 210, good for a five-shot victory.
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS — Pepperdine won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in October by four shots with a score of 42-under, the fifth-best score in team history ... The Waves competed at the prestigious East Lake Cup for the second straight year. They won the single round of stroke play, lost to Oklahoma in the opening round of match play (a rematch of the 2020 East Lake Cup final and the 2021 national championship, both won by the Waves), but defeated Arizona State for third place ... Pepperdine began the spring by shooting 17-under at its own Southwestern Invitational, a score that would be good enough to win in almost any year, but Arizona State had a record 30-under and the Waves finished second ... After two strong showings against top competition at the Southern Highlands Collegiate (second place) and the NIT (third place), the Waves broke through and won the Valspar Collegiate Invitational against another exceptional field, beating Florida State by 14 shots ... The Waves' third team victory of the season came at the WCC Championships, where they beat BYU and Loyola Marymount by five shots for their fourth consecutive league crown and their league-best 22nd overall.
LOOKING AHEAD — Dylan Menante has been named to the U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team for the second straight year. They'll play at the Golf Club de Geneve in Switzerland from July 1-3 ... Menante's win at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational gave him an exemption into the PGA Tour's 3M Open in Minnesota from July 21-24 ...  Joey Vrzich's immediate post-college plans are set as he finished third at a PGA Tour Canada Q-School event in Arizona, giving him exempt status for the first half of the 2022 season ... Derek Hitchner is planning on utilizing a COVID-19 redshirt season to return for 2022-23.
OTHER 2021-22 HONORS — Joe Highsmith was named to the Ben Hogan Award watch list in early February ... Dylan Menante and William Mouw were named to the Haskins Award preseason watch list ... Menante was named the WCC's Player of the Month for March.
RECORDS WATCH — Five current Waves rank among Pepperdine's top eight on the all-time scoring list — Dylan Menante at #2 (70.79), Joey Vrzich at #3 (70.82), William Mouw at #4 (71.16), Joe Highsmith at #5 (71.43) and Derek Hitchner at #8 (71.78) ... Highsmith is fifth in career below-par rounds (60), tied for ninth in top-20 finishes (25) and tied for 10th in top-10 finishes (17) ... Menante and Mouw are tied for ninth in below-par rounds (45).
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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EVENT INFO — The NCAA Bryan Regional will be held at the par-72, 7,227-yard Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas. There will be a single round of golf each day between Monday and Wednesday (May 16-18). Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.
Pepperdine will be paired with host Texas A&M and Georgia for Monday's first round and they'll start on the first tee at 7:30 a.m. CT.
The top five teams and the low individual on a non-advancing team will qualify for the NCAA finals, set for May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
FIELD — In order of seeding, the 13 teams competing at the regional are Pepperdine, host Texas A&M, Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas, Arizona, Michigan State, SMU, Boise State, Oregon State, Colorado State, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas Southern.
LINEUP — Pepperdine's lineup consists of junior Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS), senior Joey Vrzich (El Cajon, Calif./Christian HS/Nevada), senior Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School), junior William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS) and senior Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School). Freshman Ian Maspat (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) will travel as a potential substitute.
Four of the five Waves have previous NCAA Regional experience and all four were in the lineup for last year's regional. Vrzich has played in three in his career (T-26th in 2018 and T-42nd in 2019 at Nevada, and T-2nd in 2021), Highsmith has been in two (4th in 2019 and T-39th in 2021) and Menante (T-61st in 2021) and Mouw (T-16th in 2021) made their debuts last year. Hitchner will make his first NCAA appearance.
NCAA HISTORY — Pepperdine is making its seventh consecutive NCAA Regional appearance and its 26th all-time. This is the first time that the Waves have ever been the top seed at an NCAA Regional. The previous best was #2 last season, and before that it was #3 in 2019. The Waves have made it to the NCAA finals 11 times but are looking to qualify for three straight for the first time in program history.
The Waves won their first national championship in 1997 at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, Illinois, and then won again last season at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Those are two of the program's four top-10 finishes at nationals.
Pepperdine's best-ever NCAA Regional finish was third in 2017 at Stanford. Waves have won medalist honors at NCAA Regionals twice: current head coach Michael Beard in 2000 and Josh Anderson in 2012.
This is the second time Pepperdine has been sent to an NCAA Regional at the Traditions Club (the Waves were the #6 seed but finished seventh and did not advance in 2010).
RANKINGS — The Waves were picked as the nation's #1 team in the preseason in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll, and in Golf Channel's season preview. The Waves are currently #4 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #5 in the coaches poll and #6 by Golfstat.
Golfweek/Sagarin rankings (as of 5/8): Menante #31, Hitchner #55, Highsmith #59, Vrzich #60, Mouw #94.
Golfstat rankings (as of 5/8): Menante #25, Vrzich #67, Hitchner #70, Mouw #88, Highsmith #142.
PGA Tour University rankings (as of 5/11): Highsmith #12, Vrzich #14.
World Amateur Golf Ranking (as of 5/11): Menante #12, Highsmith #20, Vrzich #43, Hitchner #71, Mouw #86.
ALL-WCC — Dylan Menante repeated as WCC Player of the Year. He's the first Wave, and only the third WCC player, to repeat since coaches began voting on the award in 2008 ... Michael Beard won his sixth consecutive WCC Coach of the Year award (he's the only WCC men's golf coach ever to earn more than two in a row) ... The Waves' lineup took five of the 10 All-WCC first team slots, with Menante joined by Joe Highsmith, Derek Hitchner, William Mouw and Joey Vrzich.
INDIVIDUAL WINS — Three Pepperdine individuals have posted four victories this season ... Dylan Menante won twice in a row this spring. His first college win came at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational (by one), followed by the Western Intercollegiate (by three). He became the first Wave to win consecutive tournaments since Kevin Marsh in the fall of 1993 ... Joe Highsmith won his second college title with a 19-under 197, good for the third-best score in program history, at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in October ... Ian Maspat captured a title at a separate tournament for individuals at The Prestige with a 6-under 210, good for a five-shot victory.
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS — Pepperdine won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in October by four shots with a score of 42-under, the fifth-best score in team history ... The Waves competed at the prestigious East Lake Cup for the second straight year. They won the single round of stroke play, lost to Oklahoma in the opening round of match play (a rematch of the 2020 East Lake Cup final and the 2021 national championship, both won by the Waves), but defeated Arizona State for third place ... Pepperdine began the spring by shooting 17-under at its own Southwestern Invitational, a score that would be good enough to win in almost any year, but Arizona State had a record 30-under and the Waves finished second ... After two strong showings against top competition at the Southern Highlands Collegiate (second place) and the NIT (third place), the Waves broke through and won the Valspar Collegiate Invitational against another exceptional field, beating Florida State by 14 shots ... The Waves' third team victory of the season came at the WCC Championships, where they beat BYU and Loyola Marymount by five shots for their fourth consecutive league crown and their league-best 22nd overall.
LOOKING AHEAD — Dylan Menante has been named to the U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team for the second straight year. They'll play at the Golf Club de Geneve in Switzerland from July 1-3 ... Menante's win at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational gave him an exemption into the PGA Tour's 3M Open in Minnesota from July 21-24 ...  Joey Vrzich's immediate post-college plans are set as he finished third at a PGA Tour Canada Q-School event in Arizona, giving him exempt status for the first half of the 2022 season ... Derek Hitchner is planning on utilizing a COVID-19 redshirt season to return for 2022-23.
OTHER 2021-22 HONORS — Joe Highsmith was named to the Ben Hogan Award watch list in early February ... Dylan Menante and William Mouw were named to the Haskins Award preseason watch list ... Menante was named the WCC's Player of the Month for March.
RECORDS WATCH — Five current Waves rank among Pepperdine's top eight on the all-time scoring list — Dylan Menante at #2 (70.79), Joey Vrzich at #3 (70.82), William Mouw at #4 (71.16), Joe Highsmith at #5 (71.43) and Derek Hitchner at #8 (71.78) ... Highsmith is fifth in career below-par rounds (60), tied for ninth in top-20 finishes (25) and tied for 10th in top-10 finishes (17) ... Menante and Mouw are tied for ninth in below-par rounds (45).
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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