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The UCSB Athletics Department has announced that Chris Massoletti will take over as the new head men’s golf coach. He will assume his role on Monday.
“It is with great excitement that we welcome Chris to UC Santa Barbara,” Interim Director of Athletics Kelly Barsky said. “He is a student-athlete-focused, service-oriented coach and leader with exceptional experience and demonstration of success on and off the green at a variety of levels including his most recent stop at UC Berkeley. We are beyond thrilled that Chris has accepted our offer to become a Gaucho.”
Massoletti comes to Santa Barbara from UC Berkeley, where he has served as the assistant men’s golf coach for the last three seasons. During his time with the Golden Bears, he coached six Academic All-Americans, three All-PAC-12 selections and one individual who secured a tournament victory. He also assisted the team to seven top-10 finishes across 12 tournaments. In addition to his work on the green, Massoletti also served as the team’s primary recruiting director, helping the program reach new heights.
“I am extremely honored and humbled to have been given this opportunity to lead the Gauchos. I want to thank Kelly, Sandra Featherson and Matt English for their belief in me and my vision for the future of this program,” Massoletti said. “UCSB is an outstanding university with a proud and honored past in academics and athletics. I look forward to continuing that tradition in recruiting and mentoring high quality young men who will not only succeed on the course but as well as the classroom. I can’t thank Coach Walter Chun and the Cal Golf Committee enough for the past three years. I have learned so much from him and the Cal family and I am ready to bring that knowledge to UCSB and the Santa Barbara community. I am ready to hit the ground running.”
Before his time at UC Berkeley, Massoletti was the assistant men’s golf coach at the University of New Mexico, helping to bring the program a Mountain West Conference Championship in 2019. While in New Mexico, he coached an individual conference champion as well as developing an All-American, six All-Mountain West selections, a Freshman of the Year and six Academic All-Americans. The Lobos made it to the NCAA Regionals twice during his three years as well as earning the Academic Nation Championship by achieving the highest team GPA in Division I men’s golf.
Before coaching at New Mexico, Massoletti was the head men’s and women’s golf coach at Saint Mary’s University in Texas. He led the teams to multiple NCAA appearances and coached a Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year, seven All-Heartland Conference selections and two All-Region athletes.
Massoletti’s career began at the Teravista Golf Club in Round Rock, Tex., where he served as the Director of Instruction. He also was a volunteer assistant coach for St. Edward’s University and played in multiple professional golf tours prior to his coaching career.
His collegiate career was split between California State University Chico, where he was an All-American as a sophomore, and Texas A&M, where he earned the Bob Ellis Team Leader Award and received Scholar Athlete recognition three times. Massoletti graduated from Texas A&M in 2008.
email: msmolensky@newspress.com
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