Bearkat trio honored by Southland Conference
4/25/2016 2:48:00 PM | Men's Golf
HUNTSVILLE – One week after making a run at the Southland Conference Championships, the Sam Houston State men's golf program received more reasoning to build on the positives from the recently completed season.
Sam Houston junior Andrew Ertel was named first-team all-conference while sophomore Jake McCrory earned second-team honors and freshman Mason Weld took third-team accolades, the league office announced Monday. All three players return next season.
“I'm proud of these guys,” fourth-year head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. Andrew making first team shows his consistency all year. Jake really came along strong in the second half. Mason was a solid freshman. To be third team all-conference shows how solid of a player he was. These guys are playing good, they are developing and they are showcasing Sam Houston at a high level.”
For Ertel, the first-team accolade follows three top-10 finishes on the season including a low round of 65 and average round of 73.03. The Woodlands product finished tied for second at the league championship with a 54-hole score of 216.
Meanwhile, McCrory also logged a top-five finish Southland Conference Championship, taking a fifth-place tie at 218. The Pasadena native posted two top-10 finishers this season including a win at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic. McCrory shot a low round of 66 and averaged 73.76 this year.
“Andrew's just a first-class player,” Kieschnick said. “Any given week he can win. He was very consistent for us. Jake was another very solid player. He really clicked the middle of the spring. Once he did, he didn't look back. Those are two guys that can win each week.”
For Weld, the honor comes after a strong freshman campaign that saw the newcomer earned one top-10 finish alongside a low round of 68 and average round of 73.97. The Helotes product finished tied for 33rd at the league championship at 233.
“Mason is just a really solid, consistent young player,” Kieschnick said. “He doesn't shoot real high. All three guys are what's exciting with what we're building the program on.”
With three honorees, Sam Houston and Southeastern Louisiana finished tied for the most among league foes. The Bearkats, who shot an impressive 26-under in six rounds leading into the Southland Championship finished third at 21-over, 885.
“We knew this year, graduating three seniors, we would be playing new guys,” Kieschnick said. “It's exciting that they adapted to how we play golf. It shows in the rankings as well as in the scores we shot and that we are building on this year and will be even better.”
The Bearkats, who concluded their season with four straight top-five finishes, place a focus on approaching the golf course, be it practice or play, with their own way of thinking, something Kieschnick credit's to the staff's days of playing professionally.
“All three of our coaches played professionally so we just try to bring that perspective of treat it as a passion and a job,” Kieschnick said. “If you put it in that perspective, it shapes the way you practice and the way you focus. You look at the golf course different. We want them to be prepared for professional golf. We want them to learn now and send them off to their careers.”
While the third-place finisher snapped the Bearkats two consecutive wins at the league championship, it also marked the fifth top-three result at the event since 2007-08.
“It's bittersweet because we're not moving on to postseason play,” Kieschnick said. “I think this is a postseason team we just needed one or two events and we would have made it on rankings the way we were going. They know what to do now and they'll be that much better next season.”
