ETSU's Pugh named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar
NORMAN, Okla. – Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars for Divisions I, II and the NAIA have been announced by the GCAA, and ETSU men’s golfer Rhys Pugh received the prestigious academic honor on Thursday.
Pugh, who was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team in May, has recorded a 3.387 cumulative grade point average. The sport management major is also a five-time Buccaneer Honor Roll member (3.0+ GPA each semester) and has been selected A-Sun All-Academic in each of his first three seasons.
On the course, Pugh was named second-team All-Atlantic Sun as he led the Buccaneers in stroke average (72.8) while also ranking 39th nationally in par-3 scoring (3.07) and 54th in eagles (five). Pugh also had six top-10 finishes for the Blue and Gold in 2013-14.
Furman’s Michael Borton earns GCAA academic honor
NORMAN, Okla. – Furman junior Michael Borton has been named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar, as announced Wednesday by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
Borton, an economics major from Winston-Salem, N.C., holds a 3.35 GPA. He saw action in 10 of Furman’s 11 tournaments during the 2013-14 season, tying for the Paladin lead with a 75.2 stroke average over 30 rounds. Borton fired a 71 in the final round of the Southern Conference Championships to lead the Paladins with a ninth-place individual finish. Earlier in the season, he carded a season-best 70 in the second round of the Bank of Tennessee at Blackthorn and tied for 16th place at the Cardinal Intercollegiate after scoring 3-over-par with a 76-72-71=219. Borton was named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and the SoCon Academic All-Conference team.
A total of 207 players in Division I earned the honor. Athletes must be a junior or senior academically, compete in at least three full years at the collegiate level, participate in 50 percent of his team’s competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 in Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 to be selected for the award. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university.
Mercer’s James Beale named All-America Scholar
NORMAN, Okla. – Mercer University's James Beale was among 207 NCAA Division I student-athletes to be named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar, as released by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Wednesday. Beale is the first player in program history to become a two-time All-America Scholar recipient.
Beale was one of three Mercer players to be named PING All-East Region this spring, while also garnering Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team recognition for the second straight year. He was named the Atlantic Sun Golfer of the Week in March after recording a fifth-place finish at the USF Invitational.
The Auckland, New Zealand, native played in 11 tournaments during his senior campaign, ranking second on the team with a career-best 71.7 scoring average. He placed second at the 2014 Atlantic Sun Championship, while recording four other top-five finishes on the year.
UNCG pair named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars
NORMAN, Okla. – UNCG junior golfers Roy Dixon and Alex Ehlert have been named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar for Division I by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Dixon and Ehlert are two of just 207 Division I student-athletes to be represented on the All-America Scholar team this season.
Dixon owns a 3.75 GPA as a finance major and is coming off his best season of his collegiate career in 2013-14. He was named to All-Southern Conference team for his play on the course while also garnering Academic All-SoCon honors and SoCon Honor Roll distinctions. Additionally, he was named first-team CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District and was eligible for Academic All-America honors by CoSIDA this season. Dixon finished second on the team and fifth in the league with a 72.65 stroke average. He posted seven top-25 results and three in the top five, including a third-place showing at the SoCon Championship.
Ehlert picked up the honor after posting a 3.75 GPA in kinesiology. He was named to the SoCon All-Academic Team and earned SoCon Honor Roll distinction, as well. He posted a 75.09 stroke average on the year, including two rounds of 69 shot at the USF Invitational, helping the Spartans set program-records for team round and tournament scores.
Western Carolina's Poston earns GCAA honor
NORMAN, Okla. – Western Carolina rising senior J.T. Poston was named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Poston was among 207 NCAA Division I men's golfers nationwide to earn the distinction.
The 2013-14 Southern Conference's Men's Golfer of the Year, Poston was selected All-America twice following the season. He earned third-team honors from Golfweek and honorable-mention plaudits from PING. He was additionally selected PING All-East Region for the second time in his career.
Majoring in finance, Poston boasts a cumulative grade point average of 3.51.
Wofford duo named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars
NORMAN, Okla. – Recent Wofford men's golf graduates Brent McKenzie and George Perkovich were honored as Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars when the list of recipients was released by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) on Wednesday.
McKenzie graduated Wofford with a 3.43 GPA as a double-major in accounting and finance. Perkovich double-majored in finance and history with a 3.60 GPA.
McKenzie competed in five tournaments on the 2013-14 campaign, boasting a stroke average of 73.93 in 15 rounds played. His senior year was highlighted by a third-place finish at the Hummingbird Intercollegiate, where he carded a three-round total of 1-over-par 214 (73-69-72). McKenzie's performance helped the Terriers take home the tournament's team championship at 8-over 860.
Perkovich competed in all 10 regular-season tournaments, as well as the Southern Conference Championship at Pinehurst. He carried a 75.41 stroke average and earned his first collegiate victory with a three-round 8-under-par 202 in October at the Donald Ross Intercollegiate. The Blacksburg, Virginia, native shot rounds of 2-under 68, 5-under 65 and 1-under 69 to win the title, and had three top-10 finishes in the fall alone.