Friday, June 18, 2010

MACON, Ga. – A decorated year for the UNF golf program culminated in a pair of Ospreys earning the Atlantic Sun’s top individual postseason awards as All-American Sean Dale won Player of the Year and US Open participant Kevin Phelan captured the Freshman of the Year award.

Dale, who transferred back to his home city of Jacksonville, Fla. after a year at Ole Miss, and the freshman Phelan brought an influx of talent to the Ospreys that had the team ranked in the top 25 all season long. Dale opened his season by winning the Wolf Run Intercollegiate. He climbed up to No. 1 in the country during the fall and during the spring never finished worse than 11th in five events. In NCAA play, he took 10th at the South Central Regional and finished as the low A-Sun representative at the NCAA Nationals earlier this month, tying for 25th. PING and the Golf Coaches Association of America named Dale a Second Team All-America, a first for the conference since ETSU’s Gareth Shaw two years ago.

Phelan unanimously earned Freshman of the Year after claiming seven top-10 finishes during the regular season including four during the month of March – a month that culminated in him winning Golfer of the Month. He spearheaded the Ospreys’ fourth-place showing at the South Central Regional, taking second place – his eighth top 10 of the year – highlighted by an opening round 6-under 66. In addition to the individual honor, Phelan joined Dale on the All-Atlantic Sun First-Team. J.C. Horne, a Second-Team All-Atlantic Sun choice rounded out the Ospreys’ All-Conference choices. Head coach Scott Schroeder won his second Coach of the Year award in three seasons. Dale and Phelan broke ETSU’s stranglehold on the individual awards. Buccaneers had won the last four Player of the Year awards and the last three Freshman of the Year honors.

A-Sun champ ETSU had plenty of representation on the All-Atlantic Sun squads. Seamus Power, the individual champion at April’s A-Sun Championship, earned First Team honors for a third time. Rhys Enoch, a quarterfinalist at the British Amateur, also made First Team for a third year. Michael Stewart, last year’s Freshman of the Year, made the Second Team. Power became only the fifth player in conference history to win multiple individual A-Sun Championships. Enoch earned a share of East Regional crown and finished 34th at the NCAA Nationals.

USC Upstate’s Josh Gallman wedged his way onto the First Team amongst the four Ospreys and Buccaneers. Gallman recorded three wins during the season, headlined by bookend victories – winning the Rutgers Invitational in the fall and closing his career by claiming victory at The Fossum in April. Earlier this month, Gallman added to his resume by earning CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic Third Team All-American honors.

Stetson’s Sam Ryder, winner of two tournaments; Kennesaw State’s Jeff Karlsson, six top-10 finishes including a tie for eighth at the NCAA Southeast Regional; and Campbell’s Vaita Guillaume, five top-10 showings, rounded out the All-Atlantic Sun Second Team.

The Owls’ Ben Greene made the All-Freshman team in unanimous fashion like Phelan. Mercer placed two on the All-Freshman team in William Meason and Matt Kocolowski. Lipscomb’s Blanton Farmer claimed the final spot on the All-Freshman team.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.