EL MACERO, Calif. - UC San Diego Men's Golf closed its 2025 regular season on the highest of notes, winning the 17-team El Macero Classic Sunday.
It was the first NCAA Division IÂ victory for the Tritons in a full-field tournament.
UC Davis hosted the three-day, 54-hole event at El Macero Country Club.
UC San Diego finished one-over par, topping second place Saint Mary's by a single stroke and third place Pacific by two strokes.
Individually, three Tritons placed in the top six.
Nathan Tseng (-3) was third,
Kyle Dougherty (-2) was fifth, and
Francis Catalano (even par) finished sixth.Â
Oscar Holm-Bredkjaer from the University of San Francisco, was the individual medalist at six-under. Carlos Astiazaran from Pacific was second at four-under.
UC San Diego was in first place after Friday's first round and in second coming into today's round.Â
TRITON STANDINGS
tie-3.
Nathan Tseng, -3Â (74-70-69)
5.
Kyle Dougherty, -2 (68-72-74)
tie-6.
Francis Catalano, Even (68-72-76)
tie-31.
Justin Gill, +7 (71-77-75)
tie-52.
Akira Isayama, +11 (74-78-75)
WHAT HEAD COACH FRED HANOVER HAD TO SAY
"The guys have worked hard all season and it was great to see them rewarded for that. The course played very difficult as there was wind plus challenging hole locations. All five of our players contributed counting scores with Nathan, Kyle, and Francis finishing third, fourth, and sixth, respectively. We finished in front of some really strong teams like the University of San Diego, Pacific and Saint Mary's. This will give us confidence heading into our first Big West Championship. Long Beach State is a top-25 team, but our guys are going to work hard and prepare the best we can."
TRITON TIDBITS
• The Tritons won their own St. Mark Invitational in 2021 with three teams in the field.
• This is the fourth-straight season that UC San Diego has played this tournament.
• There were five Big West teams competing: Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Sacramento State, UC Davis, and UC San Diego.
UP NEXT
The 2025 Big West Men's Golf Championship is scheduled for April 27-29 at La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, Calif. It will be the first time the Tritons take part as they are now eligible for postseason action after completing their four-year transition to NCAA Division I.
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
