June 8, 2012
SAN DIEGO - Following the program's top-five finish at last week's NCAA championship, San Diego State athletic director Jim Sterk announced Friday that Aztec men's golf coach Ryan Donovan has agreed to a new three-year contract that will run through the 2014-15 season.
Since taking over as head coach in the spring of 2004, Donovan has guided the Aztecs to 100 top-10 tournament finishes, including in all 14 events in 2011-12, 74 top-five performances, 24 team titles and five NCAA national championship appearances. During his tenure, the team has advanced to the NCAA regionals every season with a current active streak of 14 straight postseason bids. SDSU has also placed in the top two at the conference championships five of the last seven campaigns.
"San Diego State really stepped up and showed that they were committed to me staying here and continuing to coach at my alma mater," Donovan said. "Their support has meant a lot to me. I know that we can win here and have everything we need to be successful. I'm happy to keep moving forward and to having this program continue to compete at the very highest level."
At last week's NCAA championships in Pacific Palisades, Donovan led the Aztecs to the program's best-ever finish at the Division I level, tying for fifth place overall as the squad was one of just eight teams to advance to match play. SDSU did so by mounting a historic rally over the final 18 holes of medal play, vaulting from 15th all the way into a tie for fourth after carding the low round of the tournament.
The 2011-12 Aztecs maintained a top-20 ranking throughout the campaign, winning five event titles, including four in a row, and boasting a combined head-to-head record of 174-27-3 (.860). Donovan helped the team earn back-to-back Mountain West Conference titles, becoming the first league school to accomplish the feat since 2005-06. For his efforts, he was rewarded with his second consecutive league coach-of-the-year nod and is also one of just seven finalists for the Dave Williams Award, which is handed out to the national coach of the year in Division I men's golf.
Under his direction, SDSU student-athletes have garnered all-MWC honors 15 times, including three-time selection and 2012 MW player of the year J.J. Spaun, who logged his second consecutive top-15 individual finish at nationals last week.
Prior to coaching at SDSU, Donovan was a four-year member of the Aztec golf squad from 1997-2001, and participated in a variety of national tournaments like the U.S. Amateur in 1996 and 1999, as well as the 2001 British Amateur. In 2001, Donovan played professionally in the Golden State Tour and a year later, competed in the Gateway Tour.
A native of Yorba Linda, Calif., Donovan, 34, was a four-time all-Sunset League performer at Esperanza High School in Orange County and graduated from SDSU with a degree in public administration.