Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Inks Nation's 15th-Ranked Junior Player
11/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Nov. 12, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Pat Goss announced today (Nov. 12) the signing of Nicholas Losole III (Scottsdale, Ariz./Scottsdale Notre Dame) to a national letter of intent. Losole will matriculate to Evanston in the fall of 2009.
Losole, a 2008 Rolex Junior All-American, is the nation's 15th ranked player in the 2009 class according to the Golfweek/Titleist rankings, and he ranks 17th on the American Junior Golf Association circuit.
"I am incredibly excited that Nick will be joining us next fall and anticipate he will make an immediate impact on our program," Goss said. "He is a great player who has had strong success nationally, as well as in Arizona winning consecutive Arizona Junior Championships and State High School Championships. Nick had a lot of options in recruiting and chose Northwestern because of how strongly he believes in our University and our golf program. He is an incredible fit as a person, student and athlete for our values and goals."
Losole is a 2008 AJGA All-America honorable mention selection, marking the third-consecutive NU recruit to be an AJGA All-American following the addition of current freshmen Eric Chun (Ansung City, South Korea/International Christian School) and Sam Chien (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel) a year ago. The class of Chien and Chun was ranked as a top-10 recruiting class by Golfweek Magazine.
"To have signed three-consecutive AJGA All-Americans is a strong indication that we are attracting the type of players who can lead us to the top of the Big Ten and to compete as a top-10 team in the country," Goss said. "Northwestern's reputation as a world renowned academic institution has always been recognized and now junior golfers are recognizing what a strong athletic department we have as well."
During his AJGA career, Losole carded one tournament title, four runner-ups and 12 top-10 finishes. He played in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 2007 and 2008, qualifying for match play this past summer at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Ala.
For his entire junior career, Losole has finished in the top-10 an astounding 130 times in 143 career starts. He has 60 wins, 31 runner-up finishes and 118 top-5 results.
Losole's decision to come to Northwestern is a homecoming of sorts. When he was 10-years-old, his family moved from Orland Park, Ill., to Scottsdale. Losole showed early golf promise as a three-time winner of Crystal Tree Country Club's junior championship, with his first win coming at age six.
Upon moving to Scottsdale, Losole decided to focus on one sport, golf. He has won two Arizona State Junior Championships as well two-consecutive individual Arizona High School State Championships, most recently firing a final-round 4-under 68 on Nov. 4, 2008, to win the state high school title by seven strokes. He also led Scottsdale Notre Dame to its second-straight team championship.
"I believe Coach Goss is building a team that can compete for the NCAA Championship, and I want to be part of that," Losole said. "I want to earn an economics degree and Northwestern offers a great academic opportunity for me as well."
Losole's complete bio follows below:
Nicholas Losole III
Scottsdale, Ariz./Scottsdale Notre Dame)
5-11 • 155
High School: 2008 Rolex Junior All-American ... Honorable mention AJGA All-American ... Ranked 15th in the Class of 2009 by Golfweek/Titleist ... No. 17 ranked player on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) circuit ... Ranked No. 21 by Junior Golf Scoreboard ... Recorded one win, four runner-up and 12 top-10 results in AJGA play ... Qualified for the match play portion of the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2008 ... Two-time Arizona state high school champion ... Led high school to back-to-back team state championships ... Has 130-career top-10 finishes including 60 wins and 31 runner-up performances in 143 junior-career starts ... Carries above a 4.0 GPA.
Personal: Born Nicholas James Losole III on 4/28/91 ... Son of Nick and Debbie Losole ... Chose Northwestern over USC, UCLA, Stanford and Duke ... Plans to major in economics.
