By CHRIS DAY

ALAMOSA — The new Adams State College men’s golf team will have a heavily local flavor as Grizzly head coach Jay Osmon noted on Wednesday at the Grizzly Club Luncheon.

Osmon announced that seven players have recently signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to play for the Grizzlies next fall and continue their education at ASC.

Six of the standout golfers are from Trinidad State Junior College and two hail from Alamosa.

“It’s great to have men’s golf back at Adams State,” Osmon said about the program that will re-start play this fall after it was eliminated after the 2005-06 season due to budget restraints.

“These fine young men are the building blocks of a new era of ASC golf,” Osmon said. “They will be great representatives of Adams State College and are proof that the right decision was made by the administration to bring the sport back.”

Men’s golf is one of five new enrollment-based sports that ASC is adding over the next two years. The Grizzlies’ cheerleading program is also being expanded significantly, including a dance team.

“I’m very pleased with the recruiting class thus far,” Osmon said while noting that he already has several other verbal commitments from players that are expected to complete the necessary paperwork in the next few days.

The first group of recruits includes current Trinidad State Junior College players Jonathan Atencio of Alamosa, Mic Davis of Rye, and three from Westminster — Mark Reynolds, Kyle Starrett and Chris Turner.

Also signing with the program are current Alamosa High School senior standout Kale Mortensen and former Trinidad State Junior College player Mitch Boyd of Lakewood, who presently is studying at Red Rocks Community College.

Boyd, Davis and Turner were all members of the TSJC Trojan team that won a Region IX Championship and qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament in 2007-08.

Atencio, Reynolds and Starrett are in their first year with the Mike Folda-coached Trojan squad that is enjoying an equally successful season thus far.

Atencio graduated from Alamosa High School in 2007 and was an All-State golfer for the Gary Smith-coached Mean Moose as a senior in the fall of 2006. Qualifying for the Class 4A State Tournament that year, he averaged 75.3 strokes per round and was a 3-time All-Conference selection in the South-Central League during his career with the Mean Moose. He then attended Adams State before transferring to TSJC for this season.

“I’ve known Jonathan forever,” said Osmon. “He comes from a great family and it’s exciting to have a young man from Alamosa to be able to play here.”

Atencio, who plans to major in business administration, is the son of Junior and Shirley Atencio of Alamosa. The family owns and operates Atencio’s Market and Shirley is the Campus Minster at ASC. Jonathan will have three years of eligibility with the Grizzlies.

Osmon was equally complimentary of Kale Mortensen, the son of ASC Athletic Director Larry Mortensen.

“Kale is a good kid all-around,” said Osmon. “He comes from a family that has a strong athletic tradition and a rich history with Adams State. He works really hard on his game and has improved tremendously over the last couple years.”

Kale Mortensen, whose mother Carolyn (Fulkerson) played basketball and competed in track & field in the high jump at ASC, had a 79-stroke average last fall with the Mean Moose and has been an alternate for the state tournament the last two seasons. He dropped his stroke average by 4 strokes from his junior season.

The grandson of former ASC President Dr. Bill Fulkerson Jr., Kale plans to major in business at ASC and holds a 3.5 high school GPA.

Davis, a big 6-foot-6, 205-pound golfer, had between a 77 and 78 stroke average as a freshman at TSJC in 2007-08 and had done just as well during his sophomore season, including posting a ninth place finish in one of the Trojans’ four tournaments last fall.

Davis was an All-Conference golfer while with the Dee Betts-coached Rye High School Thunderbolts who won a Santa Fe League title. He also was an Honorable Mention All-State basketball player in high school and had a 3.62 GPA. He plans to major in accounting.

“Mic is a consistent top-5 player at Trinidad State and is a very polite young man who will represent Adams State and the golf program well,” Osmon said.

Reynolds is in his first year at TSJC after graduating from Standley Lake High School in 2008. He recorded a 76 stroke average during the fall portion of the 2008-09 season and placed in the top 10 at all four of the Trojans’ tournaments, recording a runner-up finish at the McCook (Neb.) Invitational.

As a senior in high school, Reynolds posted a 77.3 stroke average and was a 2-time All-Conference ice hockey player. He plans to major in business at ASC.

“Mark is another very polite young man who is a great leader,” Osmon said about Reynolds, who was the team captain of his high school team.

Starrett, 22, is the oldest player in the group and graduated from Standley Lake High School back in 2004. He also attended Community College of Denver before resuming his golf career this season at TSJC.

Starrett has fared well this season, posting a 75 stroke average during the fall while placing in the top-10 three times.

“Kyle is a very mature person and is talented in many ways,” Osmon said about the 6-foot-1, 210-pound linkster who plans to major in art with an emphasis in graphic design.

Turner has done just as well this season, placing in the top 10 three times last fall. He was also a leading member of the 2007-08 Trojan team and serves as TSJC’s Student Body President. Also prepping at Standley Lake High School, Turner was a state qualifying and All-Conference swimmer for the Gators prior to his 2007 graduation.

“Chris is a very determined young man who has a bright future at Adams State,” Osmon said about Turner who will major in human performance and physical education.

Boyd completed his junior college eligibility in 2007-08. He was a 2-time All-Conference golfer at Green Mountain High School prior to his 2006 high school graduation. He also earned All-Conference honors in baseball with the Rams and will major in history at ASC.

“Mitch has a lot of successful golf experience that will be very helpful for our first-year program,” Osmon said.

The new recruits will find themselves coached by one of the best to play the game. Jay Osmon is a former RMAC Champion at Adams State, helping the men’s program reach NCAA-II Super Regional tournaments and a No. 17 national ranking. As a prep golfer for Alamosa High School, Osmon won the all-classification medalist honor as he led the Mean Moose to the team State Championship, coached by Dave Taylor.