Connolly, Krzyzanowksi Sign Men's Golf Letters-Of-Intent
11/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Nov. 17, 2010
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University head men's golf coach Robert Gray has announced the signing of two players to national letters-of-intent.
Brendan Connolly out of Rock Canyon High in Castle Rock, Colo., and Erik Krzyzanowski of Scottsbluff, Neb., High will join the Bulldogs in the fall.
Both come with strong junior golf credentials.
Connolly was a 2007 Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) first-team All-America selection. From 2006-09 he was a Colorado Junior Golf All-Star, was the 2008 Colorado Junior Player of the Year and from 2007-10 was a first-team All-Continental League selection for Rock Canyon High. This past year he was a second team American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Rolex All-American. He is currently ranked 114th by Golfweek, and 63rd in the Class of 2011.
Connolly won the 2008 Colorado Tournament of Champions, has three Top 20 finishes in the Big "I" National Championship and has finished in the Top 15 four times in the Colorado State High School Championships, including a tie for eighth this past season in the State Class 5A Championship and tied for 13th in 2009 in the State Class 4A tournament.
He is a two-time Junior Amateur qualifier and advanced to the round of 64 in 2009. Connolly also won the AJGA Woodward Video Junior at the Greenbrier this past year shooting a 2-under par 211 with rounds of 76-65-70, tied for 16th in the 2010 AJGA PING Invitational and was 20th in the 2010 North and South Junior Amateurs.
"Brendan brings a wealth of big tournament experience and success. His national Golfweek ranking is a direct reflection of how well he's competed on the national scene," Gray said. "He's had a lot of top finishes over the years and picked up a big win at the AJGA Woodward Video Junior at the Greenbrier. His competitiveness and consistency will be a huge asset."
Krzyzanowski, the latest in a long line of Nebraskans to play for the Bulldogs, was a three-time Nebraska Coaches Association All-State participant, finishing tied for third this past season, tie for second one stroke off the lead in 2009 and second in 2008. Scottsbluff won the Nebraska State Class B title this past season, finished fifth in 2009 and ninth in 2008.
He was named to the Nebraska Golf Association All-Star team this past year, and in 2008 and 2010 was selected to the Nebraska Golf Association Kansas/Nebraska team. He was a three-time Western Conference selection, a two-time Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference (GNAC) pick and was the Star Herald Regional Player of the Year in 2009. He won 12 high school tournaments.
Also solid in the classroom, Krzyzanowski was a two-time Academic All-State pick each of the past two seasons with a 3.8 GPA.
Krzyzanowski was a Nebraska Junior Match Play finalist this past summer.
"Erik doesn't have the national exposure that Brendan has but he's been successful on the local circuit and he has a lot of upside," Gray said. "He strikes the ball very well and has nice feel around the greens. His length will be a big benefit when we play the longer courses on our schedule. He's just starting to realize his true capabilities and he's only going to get better as he competes in more top level events."
Gray said both Connolly and Krzyzanowski could have an immediate impact on the team.
"I'm very excited that Erik and Brendan will be joining us next fall. Each has attributes that will allow them to be immediate contributors to the program and both fit in well with the team chemistry," Gray predicted. "We'll definitely be very young next year, but combined with the rest of the roster for next fall, the future of the program has never looked brighter. In addition to what they add on the course, both bring solid academics and that's a very important part of being a Gonzaga student-athlete."
