Destin, Fla. – The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced a pair of national awards at the 2013 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships banquet held Tuesday night following day one of the NCAA Tournament. Gustavus Adolphus men’s golfers being honored at the banquet included Alex Kolquist (Sr., Hermantown, Minn.), Coby Rowley (Prior Lake, Minn.), Tyler McMorrow (Jr., St. Cloud, Minn.), and Andrew Oakes (Jr., Hermantown, Minn.). Kolquist and Oakes earned a place on the PING All-Central Region Team, while Rowley, McMorrow, and Oakes were honored as Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars.
A PING All-America Second Team honoree in 2011, Gustavus’s Alex Kolquist earns a place on the PING All-Central Region Team for the second time in his career. The senior first took home All-Region recognition in 2011 after his sophomore season. Kolquist won Individual Medalist honors at the 2012 MIAC Championships and was recently named the MIAC Men’s Golf Player-of-the-Year. His stroke average of 72.56 per 18 holes ranked fifth in the country heading into the NCAA Championships.
Andrew Oakes is making his first appearance on the All-Region Team after an outstanding season in his third year wearing the Three Crowns. A two-time All-Conference performer, Oakes went into the week ranked second on the team in stroke average at 75.17 (54rd/NCAA). He posted one tournament win and three top three finishes.
Also representing the MIAC from the Central Region was Dennis Granath, Drew Lynch, and Casey Vangsness of Saint John’s, and Alex Kapraun of St. Thomas.
Along with the All-Region teams, the GCAA also released the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars for the 2012-13 season.
To be eligible for Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar status an individual must be a junior or senior academically and compete in at least two full years at the collegiate level, participate in 50-percent of his team’s competitive rounds or compete in the NCAA Championships, have a stroke average under 79.0 in Division III and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university.
Coby Rowley, Tyler McMorrow, and Andrew Oakes all take home All-America Scholar honors for the first time in their careers. Rowley will graduate this June with degrees in chemistry, and biochemistry and molecular biology. He currently has a cumulative grade point average of 3.56. McMorrow, who carries a GPA of 3.48, will graduate from Gustavus in June with a degree in economics. Oakes, the youngest of the group, is an economics major who holds a GPA of 3.79.
The Gustavus men’s golf team led the entire nation with its amount of All-American Scholars. Dennis Granath of Saint John’s, Michael Mortenson of St. Thomas, and Andrew Whitchurch of Concordia were the other three student-athletes given the honor.
GCAA All-American Scholar Release