Men's Golf

Van Winkle Leads Third–Place Finish for Men´s Golf

The Rattlers finished third at the Cardinal Classic. (Photo by Antonio Morano Photography / www.moranomemories.photoreflect.com)

SAN ANTONIO — The green saw success for St. Mary’s in the Spring Cardinal Classic with three Rattlers finishing among the Top 10 in Tuesday’s final round.

Newcomer Matthew Van Winkle (Fr., Castroville, Texas) had a turnaround performance in day two of the tournament after hitting 81 and 77 in the first two rounds, slicing his way to an even–par 73 in the final round for fifth place in the tournament.

But Van Winkle wasn’t the lone Rattler holding in the top. Chris Becker (Sr., San Antonio) was close behind representing the No.6 slot, swinging below par of 72 in the first round and 77 in round two after leading the event after the first two rounds. Becker finished with a score of 232 for the tournament.

Swinging consistently throughout the tournament, Sam Jernigan (Sr., San Antonio) improved to 77 in the final round after shooting 79 in the first two rounds to finish 10th.

As a team, St. Mary’s finished third under Midwestern State and host Incarnate Word with a combined score of 938. The Rattlers entered the final round one stroke off the lead.

St. Mary’s University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men’s basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men’s golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men’s golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary’s also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary’s student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.stmarytx.edu/athletics.

    

Coaching Staff

Head Coach Wes Skidmore

Wes Skidmore enters his 11th season as head coach of the St. Mary's men's golf program and his seventh as the coach of the Rattlers' women's team.

Cultivating an environment where classroom success is as important as a good day on the green, Skidmore has brought unprecedented success to St. Mary's golf program on and off the course. He has coached seven All-Americans, 39 All-Conference selections and 13 All-America Scholars over the past nine seasons. He has also coached the Rattlers to two national championships, an individual title in 2006 and an academic title in 2009.

During his 10 years at the helm of the men s program, he has led the team to nine straight NCAA South Central Region Tournaments, including a trip in the NCAA Championships during the 2005-2006 season. The Rattlers have placed second or higher in the Heartland Conference Championships in eight of his 10 years, including winning the event in 2004 and 2009.

Two seasons ago, Skidmore helped oversee two of the best golfers to come through the program, Matt Vela and Jeff Rein, in their senior seasons. Vela was named the Heartland Conference Sportsmanship Male Athlete of the Year and the Men's Golfer of the Year, while both golfers were chosen to the PING All-Region Team. In addition, the Rattlers once again qualified as a team for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.

The women's team, meanwhile, made great strides in the 2010-2011 season, placing fifth at the Heartland Conference Championship despite playing without a senior on their roster.

In 2009, the Rattlers received their greatest academic honor under Skidmore, when the men were named GCAA Academic National Champions. The team produced a 3.62 grade point average, which was the top mark in NCAA Division II for the 2008-2009 academic year.

During the 2005-2006 academic year, the Rattlers had the best golf season in school history. St. Mary's finished second at the NCAA South Central Region Tournament, qualifying them for the NCAA Championship, where they placed 10th overall. Individually, Jamie Amoretti had the best individual season for a Rattler men's golfer in school history, placing third at the NCAA South Central Region, and then followed that by winning the NCAA Division II National Championship, the first individual national championship in St. Mary's school history. Amoretti was named Heartland Conference Player of the Year and was a second team NCAA Division II All-American.

St. Mary's has won 10 tournament titles during Skidmore's tenure, including a school-record five during the 2003-2004 season. In 2009, the men peaked at the right time and won the Heartland Conference Championship, with Jeff Rein taking medalist honors, while Matt Vela finished second.

During the 2006-2007 year, the men had both Amoretti and KC Lim win individual titles. Lim won three tournament titles and Amoretti won one. Both Lim and Amoretti placed in the top 15 at the South Central Region Tournament, each just missing out on a berth in the NCAA Championship. The Rattlers won one tournament, the Pepsi Crawford-Wade Invitational and took second in the Heartland Conference Championship.

On the women's side, Jessica Harbin became just the second woman in Rattler history to advance to the NCAA Championships as an individual. Harbin won four tournaments, including the Heartland Conference Championship. She finished third at the NCAA West Regional, qualifying her for the NCAA Championship, where she placed 18th overall, the second highest finish for a Rattler woman in school history.

Luke Antonelli was a two-time All-American for Skidmore during the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons. He qualified for the NCAA Championship as an individual in 2003, placing second at the NCAA South Central Regional, then finishing 10th at the NCAA Championship. Antonelli was a first team All-American in 2004 and an honorable mention selection in 2003.

Prior to his time at St. Mary's, Skidmore worked as a coach and teacher for the Northeast Independent School District for 32 years. He also worked as a coach at St. Gerard's and Gonzales High School.

Skidmore, a former baseball star who was inducted into the St. Mary's Hall of Fame in 1995, was an NAIA All-Region performer on the diamond for St. Mary's University, while playing for the school from 1967-70. He also earned All-Big State Conference honors three times and was an honorable mention All-American. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in physical education. He has two children, Kelby and Kenneth.

Graduate Assistant Coach Jeff Rein

A decorated golfer at St. Mary's, Jeff Rein enters his second year on Wes Skidmore's coaching staff while finishing up his marketing degree.

Rein, a San Antonio native from Central Catholic, has his name etched throughout St. Mary's record book. His scoring average of 72.80 in 2010-2011 was the fourth-best mark in the program's history, and the 65 he shot at the DBU Patriot Invitational on March 27, 2011, was one stroke off the school's best-ever round.

Rein played three seasons for St. Mary's after transferring from Texas Lutheran, and he maintained an impressive 73.41 stroke average over that span. It is the fourth-best career scoring average for a St. Mary's golfer.

Rein won the Heartland Conference individual championship in 2009, when he shot a three-round total of 204 that included a first-round 66. He was named All-South Central Region in 2010 and 2011 by Golf Coaches Association of America, and was also twice honored by GCAA as an All-American Scholar (2010, 2011). He was named All-Heartland Conference all three years with St. Mary's.

Off the course, Rein helped the Rattlers maintain their status as one of the nation's flagship academic programs, helping St. Mary's receive the All-Academic Team award from the GCAA.

2012-13 St. Mary's Men's Golf Team