Denair senior Ethan Gonsalves won’t be going far to attend college. Thursday, the Coyotes’ standout golfer signed a letter of intent to play at Cal State, Stanislaus, the Division II school located just a few miles west of Denair.
“Since I’ve always lived so close to Stanislaus, going there was always on my mind,” Gonsalves explained. “I get to stay close with my family, I’m able to get a higher level of education, and all while getting to continue to play high-level collegiate golf.”
In the past two years, Gonsalves has blossomed into arguably Denair’s top golfer ever.
As a sophomore, he finished fourth in the Sac-Joaquin Section Small-Schools tournament, earning him a spot at the Masters tournament. Last season, he improved on those results – winning the Small Schools tournament with a 1-over-par 73 at The Ridge Golf Course in Auburn against roughly 110 other players. He again qualified for the Masters tournament, where he tied for seventh by shooting an even-par 72 at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton, narrowly missing a chance to play in the NorCal tournament.
Gonsalves’ average score last year was 3 over par, making him the player to beat in the Southern League. Already this season, he won the Oakdale tournament against some of the best players in Northern California.
“One thing that sets Ethan apart from most of the golfers in this area is that he is an athlete,” said Denair Coach Greg Gaudio. “There are some great youth golfers in the high schools in the Central Valley. Excellent youth who really play well. However, when all of the top golfers are climbing up and down hills carrying their clubs on their back, I think Ethan has a slight advantage over some of these top players because he is a natural athlete.”
At Stanislaus, Gonsalves will join one of the nation’s top Division II programs. The Warriors compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, where they have a long tradition of success.
“The coach at Stan State is Brandon Christianson,” Gonsalves said. “I’ve been reaching out to him since my junior year and we had talked about maybe being part of the team in the future. During the beginning of this year, he gave me a full tour of the campus, and now we’ve solidified a deal to be part of the team.”
