Ertel named Academic All-Southland Conference
5/17/2016 2:11:00 PM | Men's Golf
Sam Houston junior Andrew Ertel has been named to the five-member 2016 Academic All-Southland Conference Men's Golf Team, the league office announced Tuesday.
In the classroom, Ertel recorded a 3.17 GPA while majoring in marketing. On the course, he was first team All-Southland Conference and was the runner-up at the 2016 Southland Championships.
“Academics is very important to us,” head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. “We talk about what you do in the classroom leading to good stuff on the golf course. We have very high standards. It shows you the kind of individual he is to work extremely hard outside and inside the classroom.”
The junior from The Woodlands carded four top 25 individual finishes in the Kats' regular season including three top-10 finishes on the season. Ertel notched a low round of 65 and average round of 73.03.
“He's one of the best players in the conference,” Kieschnick said. “He's a dangerous player and can shoot a lot under par. We have to focus on getting him a win next year. He's a team leader that can get us back to the postseason. He takes serious his golf and school.”
On Monday, senior Nicole Budnik received the accolade for the women's program. Both upperclassmen student-athletes played a significant role in each team's success this season which included two top team finishes for the women and a third-place Southland finisher for the men.
The Bearkat men, who started three freshman, one sophomore and a junior were hot at the right time of the season, shooting 26-under their last six rounds leading up to the league championships. The Kats concluded their 2015-16 campaign with four straight top-five finishes.
The all-academic teams are voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and academic advisors from each Southland Conference university. Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution and participated in at least 50 percent of the team's competition to qualify for the all-academic squad
