By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech golf coach Polk Brown announced the postseason awards for both Golden Eagle squads, with some changes being made to the honors presented to each team moving forward.
Both the men's and women's golf teams will present four postseason honors beginning with the 2019-20 COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season. The Most Valuable Player Award (Gilbert Darcy MVP Award on the men's side) and the Most Improved Player Award both return for each team, having been honored since 1994.
New to the rotation are the Coach's Award and Bobby Nichols Award for Leadership. The Coach's Award goes to the player displaying the best attitude, most dedication and biggest impact to the team for the given year. The Bobby Nichols Award for Leadership, named after the late, Hall of Fame head coach, is presented to the player who has shown and provided the most leadership on the team during the given year.
For the second-straight year, Cookeville native Will Brooks earned Gilbert Darcy MVP honors on the men's side after sharing the award with Bracton Womack a year ago. Sophomore Heidi Lawson earned the MVP Award on the women's side, showing vast improvement from her rookie campaign.
"Will has just continued to improve each and every year he's been on the team," Brown expressed. "He led the team this year in scoring average and showed he works hard, has a great attitude and is very coachable. I'm excited to see what he can do in the upcoming season and see how much more he can improve and grow."
Brooks turned in a scoring mark of 72.47 in the shortened campaign, completing all 17 rounds of Tech's six tournaments throughout the year and leading the team among qualifiers. His average marked the lowest in program history since PGA Tour pro Scott Stallings posted a 70.9 following his senior season in 2006-07.
The junior was named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference Team after ranking 11th overall in scoring average in the league. He earned All-Tournament honors twice and OVC Golfer of the Week honors once on the year while leading Tech in each of the team's first three events.
"Heidi had an outstanding season in the six tournaments we played," Brown explained. "She improved her stroke average by almost four shots from her freshman year. She's an outstanding young lady that puts in great work in the classroom and on the golf course. I couldn't be more thrilled for her to earn this award."
Lawson earned MVP honors behind an incredible scoring average of 75.88. Her team-best mark, by nearly two strokes, represented the second-lowest in program history to only Maddi Evert's average of 75.86 in 21 rounds and nine events during the 2014-15 campaign.
A native of Kodak, Tenn., Lawson managed back-to-back All-Tournament nods to start the year, led the Golden Eagles in four of the team's six tournaments and was the runner-up in the other two. She lowered her scoring average from her freshman campaign by over three shots.
The men's team's Most Improved Player Award was earned by sophomore Chance Taylor while the honor on the women's side went to Hannah Bratton for the second-straight year.
"Chance showed huge strides from his freshman campaign to his sophomore year," Brown said. "He stepped more into a role where he was consistently in the top-five on the team, playing there in every tournament we participated in this year. He showed a great attitude and was very good at brushing things off that didn't go his way. He's just a very hard worker and I'm excited for him for his potential as we move forward."
Taylor eliminated more than three shots off his scoring average from last season, ranking second on the team among those who played in every event with a mark of 73.59. The second-year man was one of just three Golden Eagles to participate in all 17 rounds of action, turning in four rounds of par or better golf.
"Hannah put up the second-lowest stroke average this season and improved her scoring average two to three shots from last year," Brown added. "Hannah made a massive jump from her sophomore year to her junior year and comparing now to her freshman year, she's just a completely different player. She does a great job and I can't wait to see what lies ahead for her next year."
Bratton captured a 77.75 average during her third season in the purple and gold, improving steadily from last year's mark of 79.60. The junior tied with Lawson for the team lead with four top-25 finishes on the year. She also led the Golden Eagles in two events during the shortened season.
One of two new honors being recognized, the Coach's Award went to men's freshman Nick Sutton and women's freshman Katrine Toennessen.
"The Coach's Award on the men's side went to Nick Sutton, a young man that came into our program with a chip on his shoulder and used it to his fullest advantage," Brown explained. "He's a very dedicated played and he put the time in, put extra time in even. His work in the classroom was second to none and he always brought positive energy to the team. I'm just very proud of Nick. I'm so excited for his future with our program."
Sutton was one of just three Tech golfers to complete all 17 rounds of action on the season, finishing his inaugural year in Cookeville with a scoring mark of 75.06. He fired a season-best 216 in what turned out to be the final event of the year and collected six rounds of par or better golf.
"Our first Coach's Award winner on the women's side was Katrine Toennessen," Brown expressed. "Joining her sister, Elisabeth, as the first international players we've ever had on the team, I couldn't have asked for anything more from Katrine. She came in ready to work, had a very good attitude and was excited to learn and improve. She did a great job in the classroom as well. I'm so pumped to have her on the team and am looking forward to having her with our program for years to come."
Toennessen also represented one of just three members of the women's side to compete in all 16 rounds of action on the year, compiling a scoring average of 79.25. The freshman from Grimstad, Norway turned in a personal best of 233 in her second event, earning a top-15 nod.
The inaugural Bobby Nichols Awards for Leadership were presented to senior members Cameron Yeary and Arianna Clemmer.
"I can't say enough about these two," Brown said. "The role they played on this team, the work they did in the classroom, the work they did on the golf course; they really set the tone for the rest of the group."
Yeary concluded his final year in the purple and gold by competing in three events and finishing eight rounds to the tune of a 74.88 scoring average. He was twice a winner of the team's Most Improved Player Award during his career and carried a 3.86 GPA in accounting while graduating in May.
Clemmer took part in two events and five total rounds, letting her leadership off the links speak nearly as loudly as her leadership in competition. She posted a 77.80 scoring average while pursuing her master's degree in healthcare administration and health informatics.
"For Cameron, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with his life after Tennessee Tech golf," Brown added. "For Arianna, she'll be coming back for an extra year and I'm excited to have her back in a leadership role for this upcoming season. She's been a great asset for our program and I'm glad to have her return."
Men's Awards
Gilbert Darcy MVP: Will Brooks
Most Improved Player: Chance Taylor
Coach's Award: Nick Sutton
Bobby Nichols Award for Leadership: Cameron Yeary
Women's Awards
Most Valuable Player: Heidi Lawson
Most Improved Player: Hannah Bratton
Coach's Award: Katrine Toennessen
Bobby Nichols Award for Leadership: Arianna Clemmer
Photos by Thomas Corhern
