University of Memphis Athletics
Tiger Golf Collects Postseason Accolades
May 01, 2012 | Men's Golf
May 1, 2012
IRVING, Texas – University of Memphis golf seniors Jack Belote and Jonathan Fly have each been selected to Conference USA’s All First Team, while head coach Grant Robbins was named Coach of the Year as announced by the league Tuesday.
“I’m very proud of Jonathan (Fly) and Jack (Belote),” Robbins said. “They were incredibly consistent throughout the year and it’s great to see them recognized.”
Fly was named to C-USA’s All First team for the third consecutive season. The 2011 Conference USA Championship medalist, Fly competed in 11 tournaments and held a team-best 72.16 scoring average. His low finish came at the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate, where he fired back-to-back rounds of 68 to earn medalist honors in the rain-shortened event. Fly also carded scores of 69-73-72 at the C-USA Championship en route to helping Memphis to the team title and a fifth-place individual showing.
“It means a lot see the hard work pay off,” Fly said. “I really tried to push myself this year because I knew we had a chance to do something special, not only myself but also the team. We are all fired up for the (NCAA Regionals) and feel like we can make some noise. It’s been a lot of fun watching this program improve each year.”
Belote, a member of C-USA All Second team last season, also competed in 11 events for the Tigers, holding a scoring average of 72.53. Belote posted two individual runner up finishes at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate and C-USA Championship where his scores of 68-71-70 helped Memphis to its first ever C-USA Men’s Golf Championship. A back-to-back member of the C-USA All-Academic team, Belote also excelled in the classroom.
“This award means a lot to me because it is voted on by the coaches,” Belote said. “It also just solidifies that all my hard work of the past years has paid off.”
The Tigers clinched another NCAA Regionals appearance by winning the Conference USA Championship and the automatic NCAA berth that comes with it. Robbins has now led the Tigers to the NCAA Regionals three times since 2008 after the program had only one appearance before he took over.
Memphis finished 11th last year in the NCAA Central Indiana Regional after receiving an at large berth and has been extremely strong this season. In addition to winning the C-USA title, the Tigers finished in the top five in all but one event and held a team scoring average under 290. This is the second time Robbins has been named Coach of the Year. He also won the award in 2008.
“Any time you win an award like this, it’s because of the players,” Robbins said. “We have a great team this year, and I’m just extremely happy to be a part of it.”
Memphis now has two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Regionals, which will be held May 17-19 at six different locations. The Tigers find out where they will be going Monday May 7 at 8 p.m. A live webcast of the selection show is available via www.NCAA.com.
“We will start practicing again on Thursday once finals are over,” Coach Robbins said. “Once we know where we are going (on Monday), we can get more specific in practice.”
2012 C-USA MEN'S GOLF AWARDS
Golfer of the Year: Harold Varner, East Carolina
Freshman of the Year: Martin Simonsen, UTEP
Newcomer of the Year: Ricardo Gouveia, UCF
Coach of the Year: Grant Robbins, Memphis
All-Conference USA First Team
• Harold Varner, East Carolina
• Jack Belote, Memphis
• Jonathan Fly, Memphis
• Ricardo Gouveia, UCF
• Brad Schneider, UCF
All-Conference USA Second Team
• Adam Stephenson, East Carolina
• Max Buckley, SMU
• Greg Eason, UCF
• Jose Joia, UCF
• Martin Simonsen, UTEP
Conference USA All-Freshman Team
• Roman Robledo, Houston
• Sam Fidone, SMU
• Matt Mabrey, Tulsa
• Paul Dunne, UAB
• Martin Simonsen, UTEP
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Players Mentioned
