New Era

2021 Big West Conference Coach of the Year taking over CSU men’s golf program

By Gary Baines – 8/5/2022

Less than a week after Colorado State University teammates Connor Jones of Westminster and Davis Bryant of Aurora finished 1-2 at the CGA State Amateur, they and their fellow Ram men’s golfers have a new head coach.

On Friday, just 24 days after announcing that men’s golf head coach Christian Newton would be retiring from college coaching after a decade at the helm of the program, CSU named Long Beach State head coach Michael Wilson as his successor.

Wilson takes over a group of players that has been ever so impressive in recent months. Jones won the Mountain West Conference individual title as well as the CGA Match Play and CGA Amateur, posted the lowest score by an amateur in the history of the Colorado Open and placed second in a playoff at the prestigious Trans-Miss Amateur. And Bryant won the Southwestern Amateur. And that’s just for starters.

“I am so humbled for the opportunity to represent Colorado State men’s golf going forward —  the players, community and all those who came before,” Wilson said in a statement. “CSU has everything a student-athlete needs to develop their games, win championships and be successful people in life on and off the course. Past coaches Mark Crabtree, Jamie Bermel and Christian Newton have each built upon one another and left a tremendous program poised for success.”

Wilson helped guide Long Beach State to the Big West Conference title and the NCAA Regionals in 2021, and an LBS individual (Tyler Schafer) went to regionals this year. Long Beach’s Hunter Epson was named the 2021 Player of the Year in the Big West Conference. And Wilson was the Big West Coach of the Year last year.

Before becoming head coach at Long Beach State, Wilson was an assistant at the University of Washington for three years. Prior to coaching, Wilson spent three years competing on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour. He played his college golf at Cal, where the Bears won the national title in 2004.

“Christian leaving was a big blow for the CSU program but they have found a really special coach in Michael and I am certain that the program’s upward trend will persist and it’s success shall continue,” Washington head coach Alan Murray said.