April 19, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's golf team took another step Friday afternoon in building a nationally prominent program when head coach John Kennaday announced the signing of Michael Nicoletti to a National Letter of Intent. Nicoletti will begin classes at SCU in the Fall of 2002.
Nicoletti will graduate from Dos Palos High School in Dos Palos, Calif. in the Spring of 2002 with a 4.3 overall GPA. He has also spent time on the Future Collegians World Tour where he competed in events as an amateur with fellow amateurs who spent the year honing their skills in preparation for competing on collegiate campuses.
While at DPHS he captured the Medallist Honors in the California State Championships and then earned an opportunity to represent the United States in the World Junior Golf Cup in St. Andrews, Scotland. While at the World Junior Golf Cup, Nicoletti was one of only two U.S. Golfers who went undefeated in the three-day tournament, leading the Americans to a 17-12 victory over Team Canada at the birthplace of golf, The Old Course at St. Andrews.
The right-hander has fired a competitive round of 67 in his young career and has earned recognition as an AJGA/Compaq Scholastic All-American. He was one of only 10 players in the country to be honored with the prestigious award that factors in a golfer's skill and academic prowess.
Nicoletti registered a perfect record of 44-0 during his prep career while earning three consecutive league MVP honors. He was also honored by the Madera Country Club as their player of the year on four separate occasions.
"I believe Michael will be a tremendous asset to our team," said head coach John Kennaday. "He is a very athletic golfer with unlimited potential. What first grabbed my attention was his competitive nature and drive to be the best. His work ethic in the classroom and on the course will be a big addition to our program. We will do the best we can to prepare him for the obvious things that he has ahead of him."
Kennaday and his current Bronco team will conclude their 2001-2002 season this weekend at the U.S. Intercollegiate hosted by Stanford at the Stanford Golf Course.
