Aug. 24, 2009

WACO, Texas - Baylor head men's golf coach Greg Priest announced Monday the addition of Michigan State transfer Payne Gniewek to the Bears' roster.

Gniewek (pronounced: ga-KNEE-wick), a junior, will have two years of eligibility remaining. He is the second NCAA Division I golfer to transfer to Baylor in two years, joining Arkansas transfer Austin Berkovsky who came to BU prior to the start of the 2008-09 season.

A native of Trenton, Mich., Gniewek was one of two golfers to compete in all 13 events for Michigan State last season. He finished second on the team with a 73.91 scoring average, good for 12th on the MSU single-season list. He won a team-best two events, while also posting four top-10 and seven top-20 finishes - second on the team in both.

Gniewek earned his first collegiate title at the UNC Greensboro Bridgestone, finishing with a career-low 213 (69-70-74). He later earned Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors after capturing his second career win with a 177 (69-71-37) at the Fossum Invitational. As a sophomore in 2008-09, Gniewek was part of Michigan State's competitive lineup at the Big Ten Championship and NCAA South Central Regional. He placed second on the team at the Big Ten Championship and third for MSU at the NCAA Regional.

"We are excited to add Payne to our golf team," Priest said. "He brings a tremendous amount of experience to the team after playing in all 13 events last year and getting a couple of wins at Michigan State. He is a very accomplished player and I think he will step in and make an impact right away."

Coming off its 12th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance, the men's golf team opens the 2009-10 season with Golfweek's Conference Challenge Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in Riverside, Iowa.