TOWSON, Md. -- As the 2020-21 academic year ramps up, Towson University head men's golf coach Mike Larkin has announced the addition of four student-athletes for the upcoming season.

"I'm really excited about this group joining the Towson golf family for Fall 2020," said head men's golf coach Mike Larkin. "It's a mix of guys with truly worldwide tournament golf experience, and that will certainly enhance our program in many ways. Adding four guys with tournament résumés like these gives us a much deeper roster than we've had in a few years. Each of them can have an immediate impact, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do to push our program forward here at Towson."

Below is a capsule on each of the incoming student-athletes.

Jairus Gaines
Transfer from Hampton University … returns back to the Greater Baltimore area after two seasons with the Pirates … played in the first or second slot at the Gilman School for head coach Michael Wallace … in 2017 Gaines finished tied for sixth at the MIAA Interscholastic, shooting a 75-68-143 … improved the next season for a second-place finish with a 71-74-145 … is familiar with Towson after finishing t-11th at the rain-shortened 2019 Towson Fall Invitational at Prospect Bay, shooting a 73 … involved with The First Tee of Greater Baltimore and was selected to represent the organization in the 2016 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach.

Larkin on Gaines: It's great to welcome Jairus back to Baltimore after his time at Hampton. It's extremely unfortunate that he had to go through their golf program being cut, but we became the beneficiaries of that difficult circumstance, and are very lucky that he landed at Towson. He's had lots of tournament success throughout the years, but I believe he's only scratched the surface. I'm looking forward to working with him, and I can't wait to see what he does in his time at Towson.

Julian Gonzalez
Transfer from nearby Goucher College … played for two seasons with the Gophers … had a 71.38 scoring average while at Goucher … took third at the Don Scalf Invitational (69-74-143)  … tied for second in the Mason Dixon Collegiate Classic (69-75-144) … won the Revolutionary Collegiate Classic (72-70-142) and the Landmark Conference Preview (72-70-142) … earned Division III All-America Honorable Mention plaudits … two-time Costa Rican National Champion (72-74-76-74-296, 71-75-73-69-288) … had a top-10 finish at the Abierto de Lima (70-70-71-76-287) … played in the 2019 Latin American Amateur Championship … earned bronze at the Central American Olympics in 2017 (74-68-74-76-292) … named the best golfer in Costa Rica for the 2017-18 season by the Journalist and Sport Reporter Association of Costa Rica (Círculo de Periodistas y Locutores Deportivos de Costa Rica) … heavily involved in various community service endeavors, including coaching golfers with special needs, tutored Spanish with the Goucher Prison Education Partnership, founded Model UN in Limon, Costa Rica.

Larkin on Gonzalez: Julian has had some real international success, in his home country of Costa Rica, and is familiar with the Towson area having played at Goucher for two years. He had immediate success at Goucher when he arrived, consistently contending for and winning several titles. I know he's very hungry to compete after having his most recent season cut short, and he will make an immediate impact at Towson."

Branden Nguyen
Played at Atholton High School for head coach Dave Applebee … led the county in scoring in his junior and senior seasons … reached the state championships all four years of his high school career … best career finish at the state championships was tied for 7th in 2019 with a 73-75-148 … won the Mid-Atlantic PGA Section as a sophomore … was selected to represent the First Tee of Howard County in the 2019 Pure Insurance Pebble Beach Open … sister, Bryana, played golf at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Larkin on Nguyen: It's nice to add another Maryland guy to our roster in Branden. He had a great 2019 high school season, finishing tied for seventh at the state championships. He's also seen, up close, what it takes to be successful at the college level, with his sister Bryana having played at UNC. As our only incoming freshman for 2020, it will be a lot of fun to watch the progress he makes as he starts up his college career."

Rick van der Nat
Transfer from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa … hails from Visser 't Hooft Lyceum, Leiden, Netherlands … at Iowa Western Community College, finished tied for third in the Blue River Classic and had three top 15 finishes during his sophomore season … had a low round of 70 three times (Blue River Classic, Warrior Challenge, NJCAA National Preview) … in his freshman season he played in all 10 events with one top five finish (NISC Preview) … had two top-10 finishes as well (District III Preview, NJCAA District III Championships) … low round was a 69 at the NJCAA District III Championships … had a scoring average of 74.25 that season … prior to Iowa Western Community College, had a runner-up finish at the 2017  National Competition in the Netherlands … shot a bogey-free round of 65 at the Austrian Juniors.

Larkin on van der Nat: Rick will bring a lot of experience and leadership to our roster. He's got a great reputation for a strong work ethic, and his results in his two years at Iowa Western, along with the success he's had internationally, are evidence of that. It will be fun to work with him these next couple of years to see what he can accomplish as a Tiger.