George Washington University Athletics
1999-2000 Outlook
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The 1998-99 season turned out to be a record breaking year for the Colonials. GW set several new school records and, remarkably, the outlook for next year is even better. The Colonials ended the year ranked 11th in the NCAA Division I-District II rankings and have their eyes on one of the District's four NCAA bids in 2000. GW had its best finish since 1985 at the Atlantic 10 Championship where their 911 total (highlighted by a first round 294) placed them third overall. With this finish under their belts, the Colonials know they can also contend for the automatic NCAA bid that comes with winning the A-10 title. Coach Scott Allen returns all but one player from last year and he knows that the Colonials' first NCAA bid is well within their grasp. Sophomores Bryan and Tim Derdenger return with the top two scoring averages from last year. Bryan led GW in their first four events of the year shooting 70-78 at St. Bonaventure to tie for fourth place overall and 75-73 to finish third at Lehigh. Bryan also added third place finishes at the GW Invitational and at Dayton to place him fourth all-time among the top 10 finishes after only one year (only three behind his coach). Bryan and Tim tied for 18th at St. John's leading the Colonials to a school-record total of 599 and an 8th-place finish at Bethpage State Park. Tim finished the year strong, taking seventh at A-10's with a score of 225 including an amazing 45 pars in the 54-hole event. Tim then took the first round lead at Temple with another 72 before finishing 14th. He closed out the year with a 76-75 performance and a second place finish at the Scotty Duncan Memorial. Redshirt sophomore Thomas Blankvoort, from the Netherlands, also emerged as a regular near the top of the lineup in 1998-99. Thomas' seventh place finish at Caves Valley lead GW to a second-place finish. Blankvoort also led the Colonials at the William & Mary-Kiskiack Invitational posting 74-73 (highlighted by an eagle on the 18th hole) which earned him Atlantic 10 Rookie-of-the-Week honors. Junior co-captain, Darren Ressler, returns to GW after and up-and-down year in 1998-99. Ressler started every match for the Colonials in 1997-98 but was unable to crack the starting lineup in the fall. Ressler, returned with a vengeance in the spring. Ressler was the medalist in GW's dual match vs. Fordham in Bermuda with a 74 and he finished 11th at A-10's with a 228, including a first-round 72. Junior Ryan Day started 20 of GW's 27 rounds last year. Day fired rounds of 78-70 to tie for fourth at St. Bonaventure and his second-round 73 helped GW to a 295 at St. John's, the third-best score in school history. Junior Gavin Parsons had a strong fall campaign but struggled in the late spring. Parsons lead GW at Old Dominion with a 149 against several nationally ranked schools. Parsons, from Montana, appropriately led the Colonials at the snow-shortened Kingsmill Invitational. Junior Michael Goldman led GW in scoring average in 1997-98 but saw only limited action in 1998-99. Goldman made the most of his chances firing a 76 at Lehigh and a 77 in the rain-soaked GW Invitational. Senior co-captain Dan Reardon, was slowed by injuries and hopes to pick up where he left off in 1997-98 where he played every match and finished ninth individually at Loyola. The Colonials other returning senior, Tohgo Saegusa, posted a 78 in Bermuda and had a 79 in the GW Invitational. Coach Allen also will add one the area's top juniors to his squad, Brad Friedlander. Friedlander, from Baltimore, finished fourth at the Maryland H.S. Tournament and has participated in the US Junior Amateur and Optimist World Jr. The Colonials return eight players who have started at least 20 rounds in one of the past two years, making Coach Allen quite optimistic. "This should be GW's deepest team ever. If everyone can stay focused on our goals, the sky is the limit for what this team can achieve." |
