Long Beach State University Athletics
Photo by: John Fajardo
Trio of Men’s Golfers Earn All-Big West Accolades
5/8/2019 12:04:00 PM | Men's Golf
Tyler Schafer was named Big West Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year and was a Second Team All-Conference selection while senior Joe Fryer and junior Hunter Epson were both named First Team All-Conference.
IRVINE, Calif. – Long Beach State Men's Golf had three golfers earn All-Big West recognition, the conference office announced on Wednesday. Freshman Tyler Schafer, junior Hunter Epsnn and senior Joe Fryer were all included on the All-Big West team after having terrific seasons for the Beach.
Schafer was named the 2019 Big West Men's Golf Freshman of the Year after a strong debut campaign. The Long Beach native becomes the fourth Big West Freshman of the Year in program history, and the first winner since Daniel Chian earned the honor in 2013. Schafer had five Top 20 finishes this season, highlighted by his performance at the John Burns Intercollegiate in February. He tied for fourth by shooting 7-under at the event, firing back-to-back 67's to end the tournament. In addition to being the best freshman in the conference, Schafer was also a Second Team All-Big West selection this season and posted a scoring average of 73.7 in his debut campaign.
LBSU also had a pair of golfers earn First Team All-Big West honors, which is an honor given to just six players. Junior Hunter Epson, a high school teammate of Schafer's at nearby Wilson High School, was named First Team All-Big West in his first season at the Beach. Epson led the way for Long Beach State at the Big West Championships where he tied for fifth, and he also had six other Top 15 finishes on the year. Epson's best performance came at the Sacramento State Invitational where he placed third with a score 7-under for the event.
Fryer earns his third consecutive All-Conference nod, and is a member of the first team for the second consecutive season. The senior from Bristol, England is the first Long Beach State men's golfer to receive three All-Big West honors in his career since Brett Lederer got his third as a junior in 2006. Fryer is also the fifth player in program history to receive two First Team All-Conference nods. Fryer had five Top 15 finishes in his senior season, including a fourth-place finish at the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational back in October when he shot 10-under for the tournament.
Big West Men's Golf Player of the Year
Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis
Big West Men's Golf Freshman of the Year
Tyler Schafer, Long Beach State
Big West Men's Golf Coach of the Year
Jason Drotter, Cal State Fullerton
First Team All-Big West
Derek Castillo, Cal State Fullerton
Hunter Epson, Long Beach State
Joe Fryer, Long Beach State
Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis
Zach Smith, UC Santa Barbara
Matt Wilson, Cal State Fullerton
Second Team All-Big West
Brett Bennett, UC Santa Barbara
Dalton Daniel, Cal State Fullerton
Jack Dyer, Cal State Fullerton
Ramiz Jamal, UC Irvine
Tyler Schafer, Long Beach State
Honorable Mention All-Big West
Justin Arcano, Hawai'i
Jesse Bratz, UC Davis
Daniel Kim, UC Davis
Thomas Lehman, Cal Poly
Tanner Podres, Cal Poly
Anthony Truong, UC Irvine
Schafer was named the 2019 Big West Men's Golf Freshman of the Year after a strong debut campaign. The Long Beach native becomes the fourth Big West Freshman of the Year in program history, and the first winner since Daniel Chian earned the honor in 2013. Schafer had five Top 20 finishes this season, highlighted by his performance at the John Burns Intercollegiate in February. He tied for fourth by shooting 7-under at the event, firing back-to-back 67's to end the tournament. In addition to being the best freshman in the conference, Schafer was also a Second Team All-Big West selection this season and posted a scoring average of 73.7 in his debut campaign.
LBSU also had a pair of golfers earn First Team All-Big West honors, which is an honor given to just six players. Junior Hunter Epson, a high school teammate of Schafer's at nearby Wilson High School, was named First Team All-Big West in his first season at the Beach. Epson led the way for Long Beach State at the Big West Championships where he tied for fifth, and he also had six other Top 15 finishes on the year. Epson's best performance came at the Sacramento State Invitational where he placed third with a score 7-under for the event.
Fryer earns his third consecutive All-Conference nod, and is a member of the first team for the second consecutive season. The senior from Bristol, England is the first Long Beach State men's golfer to receive three All-Big West honors in his career since Brett Lederer got his third as a junior in 2006. Fryer is also the fifth player in program history to receive two First Team All-Conference nods. Fryer had five Top 15 finishes in his senior season, including a fourth-place finish at the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational back in October when he shot 10-under for the tournament.
Big West Men's Golf Player of the Year
Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis
Big West Men's Golf Freshman of the Year
Tyler Schafer, Long Beach State
Big West Men's Golf Coach of the Year
Jason Drotter, Cal State Fullerton
First Team All-Big West
Derek Castillo, Cal State Fullerton
Hunter Epson, Long Beach State
Joe Fryer, Long Beach State
Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis
Zach Smith, UC Santa Barbara
Matt Wilson, Cal State Fullerton
Second Team All-Big West
Brett Bennett, UC Santa Barbara
Dalton Daniel, Cal State Fullerton
Jack Dyer, Cal State Fullerton
Ramiz Jamal, UC Irvine
Tyler Schafer, Long Beach State
Honorable Mention All-Big West
Justin Arcano, Hawai'i
Jesse Bratz, UC Davis
Daniel Kim, UC Davis
Thomas Lehman, Cal Poly
Tanner Podres, Cal Poly
Anthony Truong, UC Irvine
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