UVU campus briefs

GOLF: Utah Valley University athletic director Mike Jacobsen announced Tuesday the hiring of Chris Curran as the new men's golf coach and former BYU women's head golf coach Sue Nyhus to direct the Wolverine women's golf team.

"This is really a great time and opportunity for our golf programs," Jacobsen said. "With the strengths of both Coach Curran and Coach Nyhus, I see our recruiting, our fundraising and our overall team success really taking off. "

Curran was hired in August of 2009 to be the UVU women's coach and now has been selected to take over the Wolverine men's program in 2010.

"Chris Curran has been with us a year and did a great job with our women's program this past year. He will now move to the men's side of the program, where his coaching expertise will allow the program to excel," Jacobsen said.

Nyhus, who spent 11 seasons at BYU, guided the Cougars from a No. 64 national ranking to a No. 13 ranking in 2007.

"Having the chance to hire someone with the experience and credentials that Sue Nyhus has will be a tremendous benefit for our women and our athletics program," Jacobsen said. "Our student-athletes, who were a part of the search committee, were overwhelming in support of Coach Nyhus coaching either the men or the women."

Curran spent two seasons as an assistant for both the men's and women's golf teams at his alma mater, Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla., before coming to Utah Valley in 2009.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to work with the men's team. They are a great group of guys and very talented," Curran said. "I plan to continue the success we had with the women's team this past year with the men's team."

Curran has seen his share of NCAA postseason success, both as a coach and a player. He helped coach the RiverHawks' men's team to an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships in 2009. The team also won the 2009 Lone Star Conference Championship as well as a tournament title at the Red River Invitational.

The women's side also had a taste of the NCAA Championships with an individual qualifier finishing 10th at the Western Regional in 2009.

As a player for NSU from 2004-07, Curran and the RiverHawks participated in four consecutive NCAA regional appearances and also achieved the school's highest-ever national ranking, No. 7, in 2007.