Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Open Season At Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
9/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 4, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
FIRST TEE: The Long Beach State men's golf team opens the 2008-09 campaign with a new head coach and several new additions to the team as the 49ers travel to Colorado Springs, Colo. for the 40th annual Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. The two-day tournament begins on Saturday, Sept. 6, with 36-holes being played at the Eisenhower Golf Club (blue course) and final round action concluding on Sunday, Sept. 7. Returnees Michael Drake and Ricky Montanez as well as newcomers Kevin Lim, Austin Love and Kevin Roy will compete for The Beach as they go up against 17 other teams that is scheduled to play this weekend (Air Force, Air Force JV, Colorado State, Long Beach State, New Mexico, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, UCCS, UNLV, Utah, Utah State, Utah Valley, Washington State, Weber State and Wyoming).
LAST TIME AT GENE MIRANDA: The 49ers last played at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational was in 2006, as LBSU finished in 14th place with a three round score of 884 (295-293-296). Junior Michael Drake will make the return trip to Colorado Springs and hopes to improve his 222 score from `06 as he finished tied for 49th.
POUTRE ON NEW SEASON FOR 49ERS: "We're very excited to get the season underway and looking forward in playing in the Gene Miranda Invitational," said 49er Head Coach Bill Poutre. "Although we've only been together for a few days, we've had great practices and everyone is in the right frame of mind. Where ever we finish this weekend, will be the start of getting this team to a championship level. We're ready to play!"
NEW COACH, NEW TEAM, NEW ATTITUDE: The 2008-09 season will have an entire different look for the 49ers as Bill Poutre was introduced as the 49ers' new head coach over the summer. Not only will The Beach have a new coach, but will also welcome five newcomers to the team. Bobby Barajas (Santa Maria), Steve Gibson (Orange), Kevin Lim (Seoul, Korea), Austin Love (Redding) and Kevin Roy (Syracuse, N.Y.) all look to contribute to the team for this season. As Orange County Player of the Year, Lim, closed out his high school career at the CIF State Championship at Santa Maria Country Club with a team championship and a 17th place individual finish. Roy, considered one of the best amateur golfers in the northeast, was named the Syracuse District Junior Player of the Year in 2007 and is currently the second ranked amateur in the Syracuse District. He finished third in the 2007 New York State Junior Amateur and has won four times during the 2007 summer junior golf season.
POUTRE TAKES OVER 49ER HELM: Bill Poutre was named the eighth head men's golf coach at Long Beach State as he replaced Bob Livingstone as he retired after 14 years at The Beach. Poutre spent the past four years as the head coach at the University of Hartford, where he turned the Hawks into one of the strongest programs on the east coast. During his four year reign at Hartford, the team's national ranking improved by nearly 120 spots. The Hawks won three regular season tournaments, two conference championships and advanced to the 2007 NCAA Division-I East Regionals. The team's stroke average improved by 16-shots over the period, setting a school record in his final season. Poutre's teams also excelled in the classroom earning a 3.30 cummulative grade point average over the four year period.
VINAL JOINS THE BEACH AS 49ERS' ASSISTANT COACH: Zack Vinal joins The Beach as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's golf teams for the 2008-09 season. Vinal enjoyed a four-year career at Binghamton University (Vestal, N.Y.), where he was a two-time Division-I PING All-Region selection and was selected as a Cleveland Golf All-American Scholar for his accomplishments during his senior year. He holds the career scoring average in the schools Division-I era as well as the single season scoring record at Binghamton University. In addition, he had 22 top-10 tournament finishes during his career. Zack was recognized by the state of New York as the 2008 SUNY Chancellor's Award. The annual award is given to one athlete from the entire New York state university system for outstanding performance in sport and academics.
BACK 9 PARTNERS WITH 49ERS: Back 9 USA and Long Beach State have partnered together that designates Back 9 USA as the official performance apparel and headwear provider for the 49ers men's golf team, coaches, and staff. In addition to outfitting the team, Back 9 USA has also signed on as the Presenting Sponsor of the Del Walker Intercollegiate to be held October 15-17 at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach. "The opportunity to partner with Back 9 USA really gives us the best of both worlds - quality and performance along with a greater selection and input into what products we get to choose from." said 49er Head Coach Bill Poutre.
NEXT UP FOR THE BEACH: The 49ers will next be action as they travel up to Northern California for the St. Mary's Invitational at Pebble Beach on Sept. 29-30.
Players Mentioned
