GLIAC Champion Ferris State Garners Four All-League Picks And Two Major Conference Awards
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Big Rapids, Mich. - The 2019 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Champion men's golf team from Ferris State University had four standouts claim all-league accolades and the Bulldogs received two major awards as postseason accolades were unveiled on Tuesday.
FSU head coach Kyle Wittenbach was chosen as the league's Coach of the Year recipient while rookie Thomas Hursey (Suttons Bay) garnered GLIAC Freshman of the Year recognition.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs' Jack Weller (Swartz Creek), a senior, was named to the All-GLIAC First Team while fellow senior Andrew Hammett (Bradenton, Fla.) was a second-team choice. Both Hursey and senior Seth Terpstra (Grandville) attained GLIAC Honorable Mention recognition.
Wittenbach led the Bulldogs to their first conference championship since 2010 this season as the Bulldogs captured the GLIAC title. It marked FSU's third tournament win of the spring in six outings. Overall, the Bulldogs finished among the top two squads six times this year, including four times in the spring campaign. The Bulldogs also received their 16th NCAA Championship berth in the last 17 years. The Ferris State alum, who led FSU to the national quarterfinals in 2017, helped the Bulldogs post their lowest regular-season score ever with a round of 276 in winning the Saginaw Valley State Spring Invitational in March in Georgetown, Ky.
Hursey had a standout rookie campaign for the Bulldogs while helping FSU to the GLIAC Championship in his debut. He competed in all 11 tournaments and placed among the top 15 golfers five times, including each of his final three outings. Hursey finished a season-best seventh at the Parkside Invitational this spring before placing 14th overall in helping FSU win the University of Indianapolis Invitational in April. Hursey also came in tied for 12th individually at the GLIAC Championships before helping the Bulldogs claim the title in head-to-head play, including a five-shot win in the semifinal round against Grand Valley State. In tournament play, Hursey shot a 76 or better in each of his final seven rounds with a low figure of 67 in the second round at UIndy.
FSU's Hammett earned All-GLIAC recognition for the second-straight year after being a first team choice a year ago. Weller claimed first-team laurels for the second time in three years as he also earned the distinction in 2017 while Terpstra garnered honorable mention accolades for the second time in his collegiate career. Overall, this year's all-conference mention is the third of Weller's career as he was also a second-team choice back in 2016.
Two weeks ago, the Bulldogs captured their 20th GLIAC Championship as they beat rival Grand Valley State in head-to-head semifinal action before topping Ashland in the finals.
Ferris State has received an official NCAA Tournament bid and will next compete in the 2018 Midwest/Central Super Regional, which will take place May 9-11 at the Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs, Ark. The Midwest/Central Regional will be hosted by Henderson State University and will consist of 10 teams from the Midwest Region along with 10 from the Central Region. Four individuals from each region will also compete in the 54-hole tournament.
Last year, Hammett was an individual qualifier for the NCAA Super Regional Championships, which makes this the 17th-straight year in which the Bulldogs have had representation in the NCAA Tournament. The 17-year streak of NCAA Championship representation in men's golf ranks as one of the longest active stretches in the country.