Improved finishes and the program's first postseason award highlights men's golf season

SAN ANTONIO – Year two of Texas A&M University–San Antonio's men's golf team produced improved overall results and the first conference award in program history in 2022.

With head coach Christi Cano guiding the team in her second season in San Antonio, the Jaguars were competitive throughout the season and recorded their highest finish at the postseason conference tournament.

Led by Jacob Peña's eighth-place finish at the Red River Athletic Conference tournament, the Jaguars finished fourth out of five teams by shooting 956 at the event. They finished four strokes behind Louisiana Christian, and 33 strokes behind Our Lady of the Lake.

A first-year competitor from Victoria, Texas, Peña was named the RRAC's Freshman of the Year for men's golf, claiming the first individual award for the program. His par-72 in the second round of the RRAC Tournament was the second-lowest round recorded by any individual player at the event.

For context, the Jaguars finished fourth out of four teams at the 2021 Association of Independent Institutions (AII) Tournament. The Jaguars finished 10 strokes behind third-place Crowley's Ridge (Ark.), and more than 100 strokes behind second-place OLLU. 

(RRAC golf teams competed in the NAIA's AII conference as there were not enough RRAC teams sponsor a conference championship.)

Two other Jaguars also turned in Top 15 performances at the 2022 conference tournament. Ethan Perez carded a three-round score 239, good for 14th place, while David Rodriguez finished in 15th place with a 241.

As Cano nearly doubling the size of her roster for the 2021-22 season, the Jaguars were far more competitive in every tournament in which they competed. Though they would probably have liked more 10 individual finishes, the Jaguars depth meant they were competing with strong teams in every event throughout the season.

With a landmark 2021-22 season, the future appears bright for the Jaguars in 2023.