Utah Valley University Athletics

Chris Curran is in his 16th season as the head men's golf coach at Utah Valley University. During his tenure, he has guided the Wolverines to their highest national ranking ever (127th, 2022-23), coached three NCAA Regional Qualifiers (Mason Casper in 2011-12 and 2012-13, and Brady McKinlay in 2022-23), coached UVU's first-ever WAC Champion and WAC Player of the Year (Gabe Lysen, 2020-21), and earned eight career team titles, along with 50 top-5 and 94 top-10 team finishes. His eight team titles make him the winningest coach in UVU golf history.

His team continues to earn the Golf Coaches Association of America All-Academic honor as the Wolverines have won the honor 13 straight seasons under Curran's direction. 

The 2022-23 season marked a historic breakthrough for Curran's squad, as Utah Valley competed in its first-ever postseason national tournament at the Golfweek National Golf Invitational at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club. The Wolverines won a program-record three team titles, with victories at the Pat Hicks Invitational, Loyola Intercollegiate, and UC Santa Barbara Intercollegiate, and earned Curran WAC Coach of the Year honors. Utah Valley also had two runner-up finishes and finished in the top 3 six times. Brady McKinlay and Caden Weber earned First Team All-WAC honors, while McKinlay became just the third UVU men's golfer to qualify for an NCAA Regional, competing at the Las Vegas Regional. McKinlay also became one of the few golfer in NCAA history to win four straight individual championships. 

Curran arrived in Orem after spending two seasons as an assistant for both the men's and women's golf teams at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla. -- his alma mater. After a year at the helm of the Utah Valley women's golf team, he inherited a men's squad that had concluded the 2009-10 season with a final ranking of 297 in the country. That figure has improved in each of Curran's three seasons, with the Wolverines enjoying a ranking as high as No. 44 during the 2011-12 season. His team earned the second-lowest season-ending national ranking in UVU history last year at 135 and Curran owns the team's lowest end-of-season ranking in UVU history at 130 in 2015.

Curran's pre-UVU résumé is equally impressive, as he has seen his share of NCAA postseason success both as a coach and a player. He helped coach the RiverHawks' men's team to an 11th place finish at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships in May of 2009. The team also won the 2009 Lone Star Conference Championship as well as a tournament title at the Red River Invitational.

The women's side also had a taste of the NCAA Championships with Curran on staff as an assistant, with an individual qualifier finishing 10th at the Western Regional in 2009. His sister, Julie, played golf on the Northeastern State women's team.

As a player for NSU from 2004-07, Curran and the RiverHawks participated in four consecutive NCAA regional appearances and also achieved the school's highest-ever national ranking, No. 7, in 2007. Curran was also a part of three straight Lone Star Conference Championships and was the team captain as a senior in 2007. He attended Sapulpa High School in Sapulpa, Okla., where was a four-year letterwinner in golf and a three-time qualifier at state. He also lettered twice in basketball in high school. Curran graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 2007 and a master's degree in health and kinesiology in 2009.

CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• WAC Coach of the Year, 2023
• 9 team wins (Battle in the Tetons, 2012; Loyola Invitational, 2015, 2023; Pat Hicks Invitational, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023; UC Santa Barbara Intercollegiate, 2023; Utah Shootout, 2024)
• 50 Top 5 finishes
• 90 Top 10 finishes
• 10 All-WAC honorees
• 1 Golf Coaches Association of America All-America Scholar Athlete (Nick Tarasiewicz, 2010-11)
• NCAA Regional qualifier Brady McKinlay, 2023
• Brady McKinlay won four straight individual titles during the 2022-23 season and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 
• 2-time NCAA Regional qualifier (Mason Casper, 2011-12, 2012-13)
• 2-time America Sky Conference POY (Mason Casper, 2011-12, 2012-13)
• Farmer Insurance All-Academic Team was recognized for having a 3.5 or higher GPA for the 2011-2012 academic year. One of nine teams in the country to receive this award.
• Numerous GCAA All-American Scholars
• 11 GCAA All-Academic Team honors

COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2009-10 Women's Head Coach

• Team Low 18 Hole Round 310 Utah Collegiate Shootout
• Team Low 36 Hole Score Utah Collegiate Shootout
• Lowest Team Scoring Average in school history
• Highest Team Finish 2nd Northern Arizona University Mountain Shootout
• Brittany Butler, Erika Baldwin Named to All Great West Second Team
• 3rd Place Finish at Great West Conference Championship

2010-11 Men's Head Coach

• First Golf Coaches Association of America All-America Scholar Athlete - Nick Tarasiewicz
• Joey Olson, Nick Tarasiewicz Named to the America Sky All-Academic Team
• Mason Casper Wins SUU Pat Hicks Invitational
• Mason Casper Named to All America Sky First Team
• 5th Place Finish at America Sky Conference Championship

2011-12 Men's Head Coach

• Team Champions at The Battle in the Tetons
• Mason Casper Medalist (-14 tying the school record). It was his second victory ties him for most victories in a career.
• Team Runner-up at Washington State University's Palouse Collegiate
• Team Runner-up at Cal Poly's Firestone Grill Championship
• Highest National Ranking in school history at No. 44
• Mason Casper qualifies for NCAA Regionals in Stanford, Calif., and finishes in a tie for 55th. Casper was UVU's first-ever NCAA Regional qualifier.
• Mason Casper named America Sky Conference Golfer of the Year.
• Farmer Insurance All-Academic Team was recognized for having a 3.5 or higher GPA for the 2011-2012 academic year. One of 9 teams in the country to receive this award.

2012-13 Men's Head Coach

• Placed second at the BSU Dash Memorial; 3rd at the America Sky Conference Championships; 3rd at WSU Snowman Getaway; T3rd at the Battle in the Tetons; 5th at the COG Mizzou Intercollegiate
• Mason Casper picks up third career victory by winning the BSU Dash Thomas
• Mason Casper named America Sky Conference Golfer of the Year
• Mason Casper earns second straight NCAA Regional bid

2013-14 Men's Head Coach

• Set a single-season Utah Valley record for team scoring average at 293.11, almost four strokes better than the previous record of 296.71 set by the 2007-08 squad
• Set another single-season UVU record with seven top 5 finishes on the season, including a pair of runner-up finishes at the Battle in the Tetons and the Jackrabbit Invitational as well as a third place finish at the WAC Championship
• Notched eight team rounds of par or better, the best mark in Wolverine men's golf history
• Posted seven top 5 finishes in 2013-14, another single-season UVU best
• JT Timmons becomes the first UVU true freshman to win top medalist honors when his 67-67--134 wins the Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational
• Brayden Eriksen earns second team All-WAC honors.
• Led Utah Valley to a third place finish at its first-ever WAC Championship

2014-15 Men's Head Coach

• Set the second-best single-season scoring average in team history at 293.39, just shy of the 293.11 scoring average record he led his team to during the 2013-14 season.
• Beat out 16 teams to claim the Loyola Invitational team title at Palm Valley Golf Club in Goodyear, Ariz.
• His team recorded five top 5 finishes, including a first place finish at the Loyola Invitational, a second place showing at the Battle in the Tetons, and a third place outing at the Pat Hicks Invitational.
• Finished the season with the highest national ranking in school history at 130.
• Posted seven top 5 finishes in 2013-14, another single-season UVU best
• Brayden Eriksen and JT Timmons earned second team All-WAC honors.
• Led Utah Valley to a fourth place finish at the WAC Tournament.

2015-16 Men's Head Coach

• Defeated 11 teams to win the team title at the Pat Hicks Invitational in St. George, Utah.
• JT Timmons becomes just the third golfer in UVU history to claim multiple career wins as he claims the individual title at the Pat Hicks Invitational.
• Records three top 5 finishes, including a first place finish at the Pat Hicks Invitational, a third place showing at the ORU Shootout and a fifth place finish at the Folino Men's Invitational.
• Blair Bursey claims his first individual title as he claims medalist honors at the Bandon Dunes Championship. With Bursey's win, Curran becomes the first coach in UVU history to have two different individuals claim titles in the same season.

2016-17 Men's Head Coach

• Finished ahead of 11 teams to claim a second-straight title at the Pat Hicks Invitational in St. George, Utah. Curran's team recorded the second-best 36-hole score in UVU history as the team shot a 16-under-par 560 at the Pat Hicks Invitational.
• His team had the second-most birdies ever recorded in a season at UVU with 432.
• Utah Valley recorded its best par 4 scoring average in UVU history, averaging 4.2133.
• UVU finished fourth at the WAC Championship at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz.
• Utah Valley registered its third-best team scoring average in school history at 294.53.
• His team was one of only 121 Division I schools to receive GCAA All-Academic Team honors
• He had two of his golfers (Blair Bursey/Ariel Elftman-Hanson) earn Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Division I Scholars honors.
• Blair Bursey was named first-team All-WAC.
• Had four of his golfers earn Academic All-WAC honors.

2017-18 Men's Head Coach

• Finished ahead of eight teams to claim a third-straight title at the Pat Hicks Invitational at Sunbrook Golf Club in St. George, Utah. The Wolverines won the tournament by nine strokes with an 11-under-par 565 (281-284).
• The team title at the Pat Hicks Invite was the team's third-straight title at the event. It also marked Curran's fifth career tournament victory. He is the winningest golf coach in UVU history.
• His team finished third at the 2018 WAC Championship after shooting a three-round score of 43-over-par 883 (283-295-305) at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas.
• His team placed second in the 24-team field at the 2018 Kinsmill Intercollegiate with a three-day, 54-hole score of 26-over-par 866 (287-289-290). Blair Bursey tied for fifth with at 3-over-par 213.
• Under his direction, UVU earned 18Birdies All-Academic Team honors by the Golf Coaches Association of America. The Wolverines were one of only 127 Division I teams to earn the honor.
• Had four of his golfers earn Academic All-WAC honors.
• Three of his golfers (Blair Bursey, Jake Godfrey, Ariel Elftman-Hanson were named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Division I Scholars.It marked the first time in UVU history that three men's golfers received the honor in a single season.
• Curran had two players named to the All-WAC team as Blair Bursey earned first-team honors and Aaron Yeates received second-team honors.

2018-19 Men's Head Coach

• Had one top-5 team finish and five top-10 team finishes on the season.
• Team placed fifth out of 11 teams at the Pat Hicks Invitational in St. George, Utah.
• Team finished sixth at the WAC Championship in Lakewood, Wash.
• Team was recognized for academic excellence by the NCAA after scoring in the top 10 percent of its sport in the most recent Academic Progress Rates.
• Had two golfers (Jake Bryson and Jake Godfrey) finish in the top-12 at the WAC Championship.
• Jake Godfrey earned All-America Scholar honors.
• Had three players earn Academic All-WAC honors.

2019-20 Men's Head Coach

• His team competed in seven tournaments before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. 
• Jake Bryson recorded the best finish of his career with a score of 1-under-par 209 (73-65-71) to place eighth at the Ram Masters Invitational.
• Team finished seventh at the Pat Hicks Invitational in St. George with a 19-over 595 (293-302)
• Gabe Lysen finsihed in a tie for seventh with a two-round score of even par 144 (73-71) in the 88-player field at the Pat Hicks Invite.
• Kai Iguchi recorded a top-10 finish (the first of his career) at the Joust at Goose Creek, finishing eighth at 7-over-par 217 (70-71-76).
• Lysen recorded three top-20 performances, including one top-10 showing.
• His program was recognized for academic excellence by the NCAA after scoring in the top 10 percent of their sports in the Academic Progress Rate for a second straight season.
• Team earned its ninth straight All-Academic Team honors by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
• Kai Iguchi, Tanner Johnson, and Zane Loveland earned Academic All-WAC honors.

2020-21 Men's Head Coach

• Under Curran's direction, Gabe Lysen became the first golfer in UVU men's golf history to win a WAC Golf Championship individual title after carding an 8-under-par 208 (65-71-72).
• Lysen finished 18th at the NCAA Cle Elum Regional with a three-round 1-over-par 214 (72-71-71).
• Lysen named WAC Men's Golfer of the Year
• Lysen, Brady McKinlay, and Kai Iguchi named to All-WAC team.
• UVU golfers earned three WAC Golfer of the Week Awards.
• Iguchi, Zane Loveland, and McKinlay earn Academic All-WAC honors.
• Team finished third at the 2021 WAC Championship with at 1-under-par 863 (283-288-292). 
• Team had three top-5 finishes during the season.
• Team finished second at the Pat Hicks Invitational with a three-round 26-under-par 838 (271-281-286).
• Team finished fifth at the The Joust at Goose Creek with a three-round score of 43-over-par 883 (300-292-291) in windy conditions. 
• McKinlay finishes the season with the seventh-lowest scoring average in UVU history at 72.48.

2021-22 Men's Head Coach

• Curran's team records an impressive seven top-5 team finishes on the season, including a pair of runner-up showings.
• His team records the lowest team scoring average in UVU history at 292.27.
• His team finishes the team with the second-best ranking in school history at 135.
• His team had the best Par 3 scoring and Par 4 scoring average in school history at 3.2509 and 4.1804, respectively.
• Team finished third at the Colorado State Ram Masters with Jake Bryson and Brady McKinlay finishing in the top-10. 
• Team takes runner-up finish at the Bill Cullum Invitational with McKinlay and Caden Weber finishing with top-10 finishes. 
• Team finishes fourth at Hoakalei Invitational in Hawaii with Caden Weber tying for fourth individually. 
• Team finishes with a second runner-up finish, placing second at the Loyola Intercollegiate. Joseph Glenn finishes second individually.
• Team finishes tied for fifth at Bandon Dunes Championship with Brady McKinlay tying for runner-up honors.
• Team ties for fifth at PING Cougar Classic with Joseph Glenn tying for seventh individually. 
• Landon Anderson records just the third 64 in UVU history with an 8-under 64 in the first round of the Mark Simpson Colorado Invite (Sept. 27).
• Team ties for fifth at WAC Championship with McKinlay finishing sixth individually. 
• McKinlay finishes season with 13th-lowest scoring average in UVU history at 73.10 followed by Joseph Glenn's 14th-lowest scoring average in school history at 73.29.

2022-23 Men's Head Coach

• Curran's team had a historic and record-breaking season which included the squad's first-ever postseason national tournament at the Golfweek National Golf Invitational at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona.
• His Utah Valley team won three team titles and recorded two runner-up finishes. The Wolverines finished in the top-3 six times.
• Curran earned WAC Coach of the Year honors.
•  The Wolverines won the Pat Hicks Invitational, the Loyola Intercollegiate, and the UC Santa Barbara Intercollegiate. UVU finished second at the Wichita State Shocker Invitational, second at the PING Cougar Classic, and third at the Colorado State Ram Masters. The three wins are the most tournament wins in a single season in UVU history. 
• Brady McKinlay and Caden Weber earned First Team All-WAC honors.
• Had five individual titles on the season. 
• UVU's Brady McKinlay won four straight individual titles during the season and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 
• McKinlay became just the third men's golfer in UVU history to play in an NCAA Regional at the Las Vegas Regional at Bear's Best Las Vegas.
• Joseph Glenn finished in a tie for 10th to lead the Utah Valley men's golf team to a 10th place team finish at the Golfweek National Golf Invitational.
• McKinlay fired a final-round 3-under-par 69 at the 2023 WAC Men's Golf Championship to finish in a tie for sixth at the tournament with a three-round score of 8-under-par 208 (69-70-69).
• Utah Valley shot a 6-under-par 282 in the final round to finish fifth on the 13-team leaderboard with a three-round 19-under-par 845 (290-273-282) at the WAC Championship.
• Kai Iguchi finished in a tie for sixth with a three-round 5-over-par 220 (75-67-78) at Shoal Creek Club at the PGA WORKS Individual Collegiate Championship. 
• Kai Iguchi, Ethan Efford, and Brady McKinlay were named Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars.
• Utah Valley earned the GCAA Outstanding Team Academic Award for the 2022-23 season.

2023-24 Men's Head Coach

• Zachary Erskine won co-medalist honors at the UNC Spring Invitational with a two-round score of 8-under-par 136 (69-67).
• Dane Huddleston led the Utah Valley at the 2024 WAC Men's Golf Championship, shooting a final-round 1-over-par 73 to finish in a tie for seventh with a three-round score of 2-over-par 218 (71-74-73) at The Golf Club at Chaparral Pines.
• Utah Valley carded a 12-over-par 300 in the final round to finish eighth on the 11-team leaderboard at the WAC Championship with a three-round 31-over-par 895 (293-302-300).
• Dane Huddleston earned All-WAC First Team honors. He competed in 11 tournaments for Utah Valley, finishing with seven top-20 performances. He had five top-15 performances, including a pair of top-10 showings. 
• Huddleston finished the season with a 72.4 scoring average in 31 total rounds of action. He wrapped up the season with a 590-327-34 record. 
• Utah Valley had a pair of top-5 team finishes, including a second-place finish at the UNC Spring Invitational and a fourth place showing at the Ram Master's Invitational.
• Kai Iguchi Iguchi made a  second straight appearance at the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship. He shot a 3-over-par 75  in the final round of the PGA WORKS Individual Collegiate Championship at TPC Sawgrass to wrap up his five-year career at Utah Valley with a 12th place finish at the tournament with a three-round 13-over-par 229 (76-68-75). 
•  Ethan Efford, Zachary Erskine, and Kai Iguchi earned Academic All-District® team honors.
• Dane Huddleston won 103rd Washington Men's Amateur Championship at The Links at Moses Pointe on Thursday with a three-round 14-under-par 202 (69-67-66). 
• Zachary Erskine and Ethan Efford were named GCAA Cobalt All-America Scholars.
• Dane Huddleston qualified for the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship with his Washington Amateur Championship win. He finished in a tie for 86th place after two rounds of stroke play. Huddleston posted a two-round total of 2-over-par 144 (74-70), narrowly missing the cut for the round of 64.