By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
Click here to view the GCAA release and complete list of honorees
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – For the sixth 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 376 student-athletes in Division I, 99 in Division II, 108 in Division III, 18 in NAIA and 12 in NJCAA earned the honor for the 2019-20 season, including Golden Eagles Bryce Beeler and Cameron Yeary. 2020 marked the first year in which sophomores were eligible for the award. 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 Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar status an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior academically in Division I, II, III, and NAIA, or receiving their Associate's Degree and in their last year of athletic eligibility in the NJCAA. In addition, they must have a stroke-average under 76.0 in Division I, 78.0 in Division II, 78.0 in NAIA and 79.0 in Division III, 77.0 in NJCAA, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. For 2019-20 only, they must participate in 40% of the team's competitive rounds.
"I am extremely proud of both Bryce and Cameron for their hard work in the classroom this year," Tech head coach Polk Brown expressed. "Both of these young men are leaders both on and off the golf course and truly epitomize what it means to be a member of the Golden Eagle golf team. With the unknowns and suddenness of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting this past semester, I was proud to see how these two helped lead our squad to one of the best academic semesters in program history.
"I look forward to seeing Cameron grows as a man as he departs us and we wish him nothing but success in his future. For Bryce, we're excited to have him back for a few more years and to see him to continue to develop as a student, as a golfer and as a man."
The Golden Eagle duo was among a group of nine from the Ohio Valley Conference included in the 376 players chosen from throughout NCAA Division I schools.
Yeary played in all three of Tech's six events throughout the shortened 2019-20 campaign, turning in a scoring average of 74.88. The senior earned the men's team's inaugural Bobby Nichols Award for Leadership on the year, completing his degree in accounting in May with GPA of 3.86.
Beeler also participated in three of the six tournaments on the year, averaging 73.11 per round to rank third on the team in scoring average.
A second announcement of Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars that include the second wave of nominations as well as those schools on the quarter system will be announced sometime next month.
Photos by Thomas Corhern
