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April 22, 2000

LARAMIE, Wyo. -

The Wyoming Cowboys concluded a very successful week on Saturday as they finished sixth out of 15 teams at the Brigham Young University Cougar Classic. Wyoming was led by junior Jake Hunter, who fired a final round of two-under par 70. The Cowboys tied with Colorado State for the sixth spot with a team score of 872. Hunter finished in a tie for 22nd with a 54-hole total of 218, two-over par for the tournament. UW sophomore Mike Urbatchka tied for 25th with a final score of 219, three-over par -- one shot back of his teammate Hunter.

BYU won the tournament with a final team score of 821, 43-under par. Wyoming's 872 was eight-over par for the tournament. The individual champion was BYU's Andy Miller, who shot a three-round total of 210, 15-under par.

"The guys played hard, and put together a real positive tournament for us," said UW men's golf coach Roger Prenzlow. "Jake (Hunter) really helped us on Saturday, shooting a two-under par round of 70. Mike Urbatchka also put up a good score with a 73, after shooting a 69 in the second round on Friday. David (Hearn) also played solid with a par round of 72 in the final round.

"We beat the teams that we needed to, to stay in the hunt for an NCAA West Regional spot. Now it all comes down to playing well at the Mountain West Conference Championship in Palm Springs the first week of May."

In addition to tying with Colorado State at 872, the Cowboys defeated Mountain West members Air Force (879 total) and Utah (880). Other teams that Wyoming is battling with for a qualifying spot in the NCAA West Regional are Nevada of the Big West Conference and Hawai'i of the Western Athletic Conference. The Pokes were able to defeat both Hawai'i (873) and Nevada (882).

The Cougar Classic tournament field was among the best in the Western United States this season. Five teams entered the tournament ranked in the Top 50 of the most recent Golfweek National Rankings. The ranked teams were: BYU (No. 5), Fresno State (No. 10), New Mexico (No. 13), San Diego State (No. 38) and Colorado State (No. 46).

Earlier this week on Tuesday, April 18, the Cowboys captured the Idaho State Bengal Invitational for their third tournament victory of the 1999-2000 season. Wyoming began the 1999-2000 season winning its own Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate in September. The Pokes also captured the St. John's University Red Storm Intercollegiate in October.

The BYU Cougar Classic was played on the Riverside Country Club course in Provo, Utah. The course measured 6,958 yards and played to a par of 72. Unlike most collegiate tournaments which feature five individuals per team, the Cougar Classic featured teams of six individuals per school.

Below are the final team scores, as well as Wyoming's individual scores.

Wyoming's next tournament will be the 2000 Mountain West Conference Championship in Palm Springs, Calif., on May 1-3.

Team Standings
1.   BYU             821
2.   New Mexico      845
3.   Fresno State    859
4.   San Diego State 865
5.   Tulsa           868
6.   Wyoming         872
     Colorado State  872
8.   Hawai'i         873
9.   Air Force       879
10.  Utah            880
11.  Nevada          882
12.  Weber State     893
13.  Boise State     900
     Southern Utah   900
15.  Utah State      922

Wyoming Players

Jake Hunter (Jr., Page, Ariz.)         T22nd   72-76-70=218 (+2)
Mike Urbatchka (So., Sheridan, Wyo.)   T25th   77-69-73=219 (+3)
David Hearn (Jr., Brantford, Ontario)  T31st   73-75-72=220 (+4)
Reid Lende (Sr., Livingston, Mont.)    T64th   71-82-74=227 (+11)
Kevin Kayden (Jr., Fremont, Ohio)      T71st   70-80-79=229 (+13)
Matt Hart (Fr., Littleton, Colo.)      T82nd   81-77-76=234 (+18)