Colorado State University Athletics
Men's Golf's Newton Named MW Coach of the Year; Ott, Oelfke All-Mountain West
4/27/2018 3:35:00 PM | Men's Golf
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Coming off its second straight runner-up finish in the Mountain West and highest ranking in six years, the Colorado State men's golf program earned a trio of postseason awards as head coach Christian Newton was named MW Coach of the Year while sophomore AJ Ott and senior Max Oelfke were named to All-Mountain West today. The honors were determined in a vote by the league's coaches.
In earning his first league honor, Newton led CSU to its current ranking of No. 40 according to Golfweek and No. 43 according to Golfstat, as well as back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Mountain West Championship, the top back-to-back combined placings in program history. The program is also assured of its first NCAA Regionals berth as a team since 2012 under his leadership.
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 "I'm very honored to be named MW Coach of the Year as there are many deserving coaches in this conference," Newton said. "The honor is truly a reflection of our players' hard work and dedication. We have some terrific student athletes and they really deserve the credit. I'd also like to thank Coach (Elrick) van Eck for his efforts and support since his arrival to CSU."
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Ott led the Rams in scoring average this season, averaging 71.63 strokes in 30 rounds played, an improvement of almost four strokes a round over his freshman year. He posted a pair of top-five and three top-10 finishes on the year, highlighted by a fourth in the Ram Masters Invitational and a tie for fifth at the recent Mountain West Championship. He had 14 rounds of par or better, with a career-best 6-under 66 in the first round of the MW event, and placed in the top 26 in eight of 10 tournaments played this season. Having started the year not ranked in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Ott has jumped all the way to 290th in the world from his play this year. He also is currently sixth on CSU's single-season chart with his 71.63 scoring average.
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Oelfke was second for CSU in scoring right behind at 71.80 strokes per round, including a pair of top-five placings and three top 10s. The senior's top finishes were a second at the season-opening Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and a tie for fifth with Ott and fellow Ram Jake Staiano at the Mountain West Championship. For the year, he had 17 rounds of par or better and finished in the top 21 in six events, including top-15s in the nationally-renowned Oregon Duck Invitational and Western Intercollegiate this spring. His average has him 11th on CSU's single-season scoring list entering the postseason.
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"I'm so happy for AJ and Max," Newton continued. "They were such a huge part of our success this season. Both of them work tirelessly on their game. It's great to see their hard work pay off. "
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CSU will find out its destination for the 2018 NCAA Men's Golf Regionals on Wed., May 2 at 4 p.m., on The Golf Channel. As part of that, the Rams will host an event at the Fort Collins Marriott, with the team inviting all fans and supporters of the program to join them for the watch party, starting at 3:30 p.m. For all proud supporters of the CSU athletic program, the Fort Collins Marriott on Horsetooth will have special Happy Hour offerings for all attendees in their lounge area, where the broadcast will be shown.
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In earning his first league honor, Newton led CSU to its current ranking of No. 40 according to Golfweek and No. 43 according to Golfstat, as well as back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Mountain West Championship, the top back-to-back combined placings in program history. The program is also assured of its first NCAA Regionals berth as a team since 2012 under his leadership.
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 "I'm very honored to be named MW Coach of the Year as there are many deserving coaches in this conference," Newton said. "The honor is truly a reflection of our players' hard work and dedication. We have some terrific student athletes and they really deserve the credit. I'd also like to thank Coach (Elrick) van Eck for his efforts and support since his arrival to CSU."
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Ott led the Rams in scoring average this season, averaging 71.63 strokes in 30 rounds played, an improvement of almost four strokes a round over his freshman year. He posted a pair of top-five and three top-10 finishes on the year, highlighted by a fourth in the Ram Masters Invitational and a tie for fifth at the recent Mountain West Championship. He had 14 rounds of par or better, with a career-best 6-under 66 in the first round of the MW event, and placed in the top 26 in eight of 10 tournaments played this season. Having started the year not ranked in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Ott has jumped all the way to 290th in the world from his play this year. He also is currently sixth on CSU's single-season chart with his 71.63 scoring average.
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Oelfke was second for CSU in scoring right behind at 71.80 strokes per round, including a pair of top-five placings and three top 10s. The senior's top finishes were a second at the season-opening Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and a tie for fifth with Ott and fellow Ram Jake Staiano at the Mountain West Championship. For the year, he had 17 rounds of par or better and finished in the top 21 in six events, including top-15s in the nationally-renowned Oregon Duck Invitational and Western Intercollegiate this spring. His average has him 11th on CSU's single-season scoring list entering the postseason.
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"I'm so happy for AJ and Max," Newton continued. "They were such a huge part of our success this season. Both of them work tirelessly on their game. It's great to see their hard work pay off. "
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CSU will find out its destination for the 2018 NCAA Men's Golf Regionals on Wed., May 2 at 4 p.m., on The Golf Channel. As part of that, the Rams will host an event at the Fort Collins Marriott, with the team inviting all fans and supporters of the program to join them for the watch party, starting at 3:30 p.m. For all proud supporters of the CSU athletic program, the Fort Collins Marriott on Horsetooth will have special Happy Hour offerings for all attendees in their lounge area, where the broadcast will be shown.
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