University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Men’s Golf Recognized as One of Top Academic Teams in D-I
08/11/2023 | Men's Golf
RICHMOND, Va — Five members of the Richmond Spiders Men's Golf team were named All-American Scholars, and the entire program was honored for posting one of the highest GPAs in Division I when the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced their annual academic awards this week.
A trio of Spider seniors — Lou Baker, Michael Childress, and Ben Cooper — were named to the All-American Scholars Team, along with junior Garrett Clark and sophomore Cole Ekert. All-American Scholars must have played in at least 50 percent of a team's competitive rounds during the season, posted a stroke average under 76.0, maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher, and displayed high moral character. (Freshmen are not eligible.)
Across all of Division I, only four programs (Harvard, Southern Illinois, UNCG, and Wyoming) placed more golfers on the All-American Scholar Team than Richmond. 2023 is the third straight year at least four Spiders have been named All-American Scholars, with four in 2022 and a school-record six All-American Scholars in 2021. Prior to 2021, no more than three Richmond golfers had been named All-American Scholars in the same year.
Childress (4), Baker (3), and Cooper (3) are the only golfers in Richmond history to earn All-American Scholar honors at least three times. This is Clark's second straight selection to the All-American Scholar Team, and the first for Ekert, who becomes the 18th different Spider to earn GCAA All-American Scholar honors.
Richmond was also one of 54 Division I programs to earn Presidents Special Recognition for compiling a team GPA of 3.5 or better during the 2022-23 season. This is the fourth straight year Richmond has earned Presidents Special Recognition from the GCAA, extending a program record. That includes 2021, when Richmond was crowned Academic National Champions for recording the highest GPA of any men's college team.
A trio of Spider seniors — Lou Baker, Michael Childress, and Ben Cooper — were named to the All-American Scholars Team, along with junior Garrett Clark and sophomore Cole Ekert. All-American Scholars must have played in at least 50 percent of a team's competitive rounds during the season, posted a stroke average under 76.0, maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher, and displayed high moral character. (Freshmen are not eligible.)
Across all of Division I, only four programs (Harvard, Southern Illinois, UNCG, and Wyoming) placed more golfers on the All-American Scholar Team than Richmond. 2023 is the third straight year at least four Spiders have been named All-American Scholars, with four in 2022 and a school-record six All-American Scholars in 2021. Prior to 2021, no more than three Richmond golfers had been named All-American Scholars in the same year.
Childress (4), Baker (3), and Cooper (3) are the only golfers in Richmond history to earn All-American Scholar honors at least three times. This is Clark's second straight selection to the All-American Scholar Team, and the first for Ekert, who becomes the 18th different Spider to earn GCAA All-American Scholar honors.
Richmond was also one of 54 Division I programs to earn Presidents Special Recognition for compiling a team GPA of 3.5 or better during the 2022-23 season. This is the fourth straight year Richmond has earned Presidents Special Recognition from the GCAA, extending a program record. That includes 2021, when Richmond was crowned Academic National Champions for recording the highest GPA of any men's college team.
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