PRIYA COOPER / SPORTS EDITOR

USD was triumphant at the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational at the Stockton Golf and Country Club. The invitational tournament took place from Monday, Oct. 16 to Wednesday, Oct. 18 and was the first victory of the 2024-2025 season for men’s golf. San Diego ranked first place out of the 15 teams competing in Stockton and has placed high at every tournament so far this season. 

The win was the team’s third consecutive top five finish of the season. The team previously placed third at the Alliston Mackenzie  Invitational,  held  on  Oct. 7 and Oct. 8.  As a team, San Diego finished third of 14 total programs in the tournament, combining for a score shooting 49-strokes-under-par and 803 strokes total during the event. The Toreros fell only seven shots shy of their competitor and tournament winner, San Jose State University and six strokes short of second place finisher and opponent, Pacific University. Toreros also placed fourth out of eight teams at the season opener at the Southern Dunes Collegiate Invitational that occurred in Maricopa, AZ at the start of September. 

The victory in  Stockton was the first career tournament win for new head coach Evan Emerick.  He suceeded Chris Riley, who announced his departure from the Torero program in May of 2024. Emerick is aided by USD Associate Coach Sam Foust, who has helped the team reach three consecutive NCAA tournaments. Emrick joined USD  in  June 2024 after coaching at the University of Southern California, where he served as an assistant coach  for one year. Before his time with the Trojans, Emrick spent a combined  15  years  at  the  nearby San Diego State University as both a player and a coach. 

USD sophomore You Seong Choi and USD graduate transfer Jaden Cantafio helped Coach Emerick achieve his first tournament win. Both concluded the tournament with 202 total strokes across three rounds. Cantafio’s passion for the game goes beyond just winning, it’s about the relationships he’s built and the sense  of  unity  within  the  team.

“I  love  to compete, especially alongside the great group of teammates and coaches that we have at USD, it feels like family,” Cantafio said. “It’s what we practice for, and it’s always fun being able to play for something  bigger than yourself. Some goals moving forward are to keep having fun and working to get better every day. If we focus on that individually and as a team, the rest is  going to take care of itself.”

USD first-year Cooper Humphreys was just behind Cantafio and Choi for the Toreros as he turned in a top-10 performance. Humphreys finished T-8, (T is a scoreboard abbreviation for “Tied at that score or position”) with a final score of 7-strokes-under-par. Humphreys reflected on the excitement and intensity of competing with his team, expressing how much he thrives in a high-stakes environment.

USD men’s golf team with first place trophy. Photo courtesy of @jaden_cantafio/Instagram

“This week was so fun,” Humphreys said. “The feeling and pressure of knowing you’re competing for a team win is something we all want to experience and I can’t wait to feel it again. My goals for the rest of the year are to get some more team wins and some wins of my own.”

USD  sophomore  Ryan Abuan placed T-47 and was followed by USD first-year Henry Dall, who competed as an individual and placed T-57, to round out USD’s results. Abuan and Dall  discussed  how  the win helped team morale and will prepare them for more matches post their tournament success.  

“This week in Stockton meant a lot for my team and I, as this is a huge confidence booster to our strong fall season,”  Abuan said. “As the spring season is just around the corner, we look to defend our WCC Title and take that momentum into an NCAA run.”

After securing an early season victory, Dall highlighted how crucial it is to build on that success while maintaining a steady mindset. It is important to recognize the impact of an early victory on the team’s confidence, but also stress the importance of staying disciplined throughout the season. 

“I think an early win in the season is a great momentum booster going forward for the rest of the year,” Dall said. “Our goal for this year has been to not get ahead of ourselves and just focus on one shot at a time, and we are going to keep the same mentality for the rest of the season.” 

The  Toreros are back in action on Oct. 29 when they travel to  Kapolei,  Hawaii to begin play in the Kapolei Invitational at Kapolei Golf Course. The team looks to continue the streak of placing at least top five in every tournament at the upcoming games to come.  After the tournament in Kapolei, the golf team’s  fall season will conclude. The Toreros will come back in February of    2025  to begin their spring season.  

USD graduate student Jaden Cantafio at Stockton Pacific Invitational. Photo courtesy of @jaden_cantafio/Instagram