By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

Click here to view the GCAA release and complete list of honorees

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – For the third straight year, at least one member of the Tennessee Tech men's golf team was named a Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).

A total of 260 players in Division I, 108 in Division II and 20 in NAIA earned the honor for the 2016-17 season, including Golden Eagle A.J. Wilkerson. Additionally, 46 honorees were added to the previously released Division III Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics.

To be eligible for Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar status an individual 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, 78.0 in Division II, 77.0 in NAIA and 79.0 in Division III, and maintain a minimum cumulative career 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.

"This is great honor and we are extremely proud of A.J. for earning it," Tech head coach Polk Brown said. "A.J. worked his tail off both in the classroom and on the course this past year and truly emerged as the team leader. This honor is just a representation of his efforts and it is truly deserving. We're very fortunate and grateful to have him back for one more season and are excited to see how he improves." 

The Sparta, Tenn. native was among a group of 10 from the Ohio Valley Conference included in the 260 players chosen from throughout NCAA Division I schools.

Wilkerson was a rock and leader on his way to earning the team's Gilbert Darcy MVP award, also claiming the team's Low Average honor thanks to a team-best 74.63 mark. The junior earned four top 10 finishes on the year, including an All-Tournament honor at the Samford Intercollegiate. He fired a career-low 214 at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate for his second of three straight top 10 finishes.