Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Kevin Goles puts on a Barry University hat Tuesday afternoon after signing his letter of intent to play golf at the Florida college. From left, Carson High School Athletic Director Diane Baker Roberts, Kevin's dad, Dave Goles, brother Brandon and mom Linda Henricksen also attended.
Barry University was impressed enough with Kevin Goles as a student-athlete, it ponied up to give him virtually a full-ride package.
Goles, who has been a standout golfer at Dayton High for three years, and is now a senior at Carson High, signed a letter of intent to play golf at Barry, a Division II school in Miami Shores, Fla.
The decision for Goles really wasn't a difficult one. His choices came down to Sonoma State and Barry and not surprisingly the chance to attend college in Florida won out.
Goles sent Barry a tape of his swing and a resume with his academic achievements and community service and it didn't take long for Barry to offer him a chance to come to the school. Goles has qualified for the NIAA 3A State Tournament each of the past three years at Dayton.
He and his family have since moved to Carson and Goles will play his senior year with the Senators. Another highlight of his career has been nearly qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Champioships two years in a row.
He's been the first runner-up the past two years after finishing second in the Northern Nevada qualifier for the event. He finished second for the second straight year at Arrowcreek this past summer.
Barry has offered him a package which pays for virtually all of his expenses. Included in the offer from Barry is an academic scholarship that pays for about half of his expenses.
Goles has a 3.9 grade point average and has scored 26 out of a possible 36 on the ACT and 1,660 out of a possible 2,400 on the SAT. He said he's leaning toward majoring in biology and focusing on wildlife management.
Barry was ranked 10th in the nation in this year's preseason poll. Goles said his goal is to help Barry win a national title.
"I definitely want to be contributing to the team right away," said Goles about his immediate goal at Barry.
"The golf program is definitely one of the best in Division II," Goles also said about why he decided on Barry. "I was impressed. The school has a great academic program."
Goles also said he chose Barry for its small student-to-teacher ratio so he won't feel like a "small fish in a big pond."
He also said he's looking forward to moving up to the 4A. "Most definitely," Goles said. "It will be much tougher competition, which I thrive for. It's better competition for my senior year."
Goles has a lofty goal for this year at Carson as well. "I want to win state this year for sure," he said.