RENO, Nev. - Nevada Men's Golf Head Coach Trake Carpenter has announced the signings of Liam Gobin (Liverpool, England / St. Chad's Catholic & Church of England HS), Jonathan Kim (Cedar Park, Texas), Aaron Leach (Windermere, Fla. / Olympia HS), Alex Maxwell (Australia / Mandurah Catholic College), and Ryan Sear (Reno, Nev. / Galena HS).
Maxwell and Sear will join the Pack program this Spring, while Gobin, Leach, and Kim will enroll in Nevada in the Fall of 2023.
"I could not be more excited about the five players that we have signed so far," said Carpenter. "Being able to get Alex and Ryan on campus this Spring will give us more depth and allow them to gain great experience as freshmen before the remaining players join us next fall. Providing these young guys with opportunities early in their careers will be a tremendous asset for our program down the road as they develop into upperclassmen. Each one of these guys is a great fit for our culture and will make all Wolf Pack fans proud of how they interact in the community and compete on the course."
Alex Maxwell
Maxwell, competing in both England and Australia this year, finished second at the English U18 Amateur along with a sixth-place finish at the Australian Junior Amateur. He claimed the Maxwell Open title and posted top-five finishes at the Nedlands Junior Masters (second), Western Australian Amateur Matchplay (third), and the Peter Mcevoy Trophy (fifth).
In September, Maxwell traveled to Niagara on Lake Ontario for the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour's National Team Challenge. There, he helped lead Team Australia to victory, shooting rounds of 71-68-72 (211), to finish five-under and claim the Low Overall individual title of NTC Junior Boys Champion.
"Alex has great experience and success all over the world at various levels of golf, and I am confident that he will be ready to mix it up for us right away," said Carpenter. "He has proven himself at the amateur level already, and I am excited for him to come in and push the rest of our group this spring."
Ryan Sear
A local product, Sear joins the Nevada men's golf program from Galena High School in Washoe Valley. Sear has competed in multiple tournaments throughout 2022, earning top-35 finishes at the Memorial Amateur (T-35), San Francisco City Championship (32nd), and the AGC Pacific Grove City Championship (9th).
Sear has recorded one top-five finish throughout his amateur career, achieving a 5th place finish at the 2021 Salinas Valley Amateur Championship.
"Ryan's eagerness to come to Nevada combined with his infectious energy will be an instant impact on our program this spring," said Carpenter. "He has been competing in events this winter and I expect him to be ready to compete on day one when spring season starts."
Liam Gobin
Gobin comes to Reno after spending two seasons at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. A Liverpool native, Gobin claimed a title at the Blinn Invitational to highlight six top-10 finishes last season, helping McLennan to a T-8 team finish at the NJCAA National Championships. Off the course, Gobin was named to the NJCAA All-Academic Third Team. On the Amateur circuit, he finished 33rd at the 2022 English Men's Amateur Championship, along with a second-place effort at the Walton Heath Trophy.
As a prep, he was a member of England's Regional 18u team, and finished third at County Championships. He was named County men's squad Player of the Year, capturing two titles among his four top-10 finishes.
"While being one of the top-ranked JUCO players in the country, what stuck out most about Liam were his leadership qualities," said Carpenter. "With a lot of new young players joining our program, Liam is the type of player and person who can help shorten the learning curve and set an example for others on how to train and compete."
Jonathan Kim
Kim has found success at the junior level, capturing 32 outright titles in Southern Texas PGA Junior Golf events since 2014. In 2021, Kim posted three top-10 finishes, beginning with a T-2 effort at the Shootout in the Hills at Canyon Springs GC. He followed that performance up with a T-8 at the Spring Fling and a T-4 at the Houston Junior Classic.
Kim won 17 titles in the organization's "Little Linksters" events from 2014-16, before capturing 11 outright titles in Junior Tour events from 2016-18. In 2022, he played in multiple American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events, highlighted by a T-5 finish at the Huntsville Junior in May, shooting 73-71-69=213.
"Kim is a proven winner and has the physical tools to compete right away and shoot good scores on tough courses," said Carpenter. "He is hungry to play against the best competition possible and I expect him to only get better as he's pushed on a daily basis here."
Aaron Leach
Leach won the Florida Junior Tour tournament (13-15 age group) in 2020, highlighting his seven titles on the tour. This year, he has posted a T-20 finish at the Florida Junior Amateur Championship, along with a third-place effort at the Stone Creek Open in February. In 2021, Leach captured the Florida Junior Match Play Championship (Boys ages 16-18) with an additional title at the River Hills Open (13-15 age group).
Competing for Olympia High School, Leach finished tied for second at the FHSAA 3A State Championships Nov. 9, coming in at 71, just one stroke off the pace. His runner-up finish comes a year after taking fourth at the 2021 state championships, after capturing the FHSAA Class 3A Region 3 title.
"Aaron is one of the grittiest players that I have ever recruited," said Carpenter. "He is constantly looking for ways to improve and has a self-starter mentality that I think will translate to the college game very well."
Nevada wrapped the fall portion of its 2022 campaign Nov. 2 at the Saint Mary's Invitational at Poppy Hills Golf Course. The season resumes, for the spring portion, Feb. 16-18, 2023, at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate in Lihue, Kaui'i.
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