Chico State Athletics

Pre-Chico Highlights:
A 2019 graduate of Chico High School…Four-time All-Eastern Athletic League selection…Named team MVP in all four of his varsity seasons…Served as the Panthers’ team captain.
 
Personal:
Born March 5, 2001, in Chico…Son of Joel Russo, who is also his hero (“he worked as hard as he could to ensure I was able to chase my dreams”)…The person he most admires in the sports world is Tiger Woods (“because he always wanted to win. He worked relentlessly to become the best and I admire him for that”)…Chose to attend Chico State “because it has a great golf program as well as business program. On top of that, I get to stay in my home town with my family and friends”…His greatest sports moment is winning his hometown golf tournament, the Les Schwab Junior Classic (“It was great to win that tournament because a couple guys I look up to have won that tournament in the past”)…The most interesting thing he’s ever done is vacation with his grandpa when he was a youngster (“We traveled all around Oregon playing golf and fishing in different spots around the state”)…The most impressive thing he’s ever accomplished is complete an Advanced Placement exam and compete in his high school golf team’s first round playoff match on the same day (“I barely made it to the tournament on time and didn’t get time to even warm up. I still managed to play extremely well and place first individually to allow our team to qualify for the next round”)…Has learned by playing golf to “not stress over all the little mistakes. Things happen sometimes and you just have to accept it and move on”…Enjoys laying on his bed and watching his favorite shows when he has some free time…His biggest talent outside of golf is playing video games…Says his greatest skill is “willing to work harder than everybody else”)…At the top of his bucket list: “Travel around the world and learn about different cultures”…Best advice ever received came from his dad: “Just have fun with whatever you do in life”…Majoring in business administration.