For the second straight year, Lee University golfer Beck Burnette was named the top male athlete in the Gulf South Conference as he won the 2023 Gulf South Conference Commissioner's Trophy award on Thursday evening. He was honored as part of the league's annual award banquet which recognized this year's GSC Top Ten honorees.
Last year, Burnette was the first men's winner from Lee in school-history. Lee has had two other athletes win the award. Summer Lanter was the first winner for Lee in 2018, and Celine Ritter won in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022.
He is just one of three golfers in GSC history to be recognized, joining 2018 men's winner Chandler Blanchet from West Florida) and West Georgia's Franziska Bream who won the women's trophy in 2019. Burnette is only the ninth student athlete in the history of the GSC to win the award twice. He is the first repeat male winner since Douglas Harnett from the University of North Alabama won it in 2001 and 2002.
Burnette was named a Ping First Team All-American and a GCAA First Team All-American this season. He has been named to three straight First Team All-GSC. He accomplished the feat in 2021, 2022, and 2023. He is one of 12 golfers to earn three All-GSC awards and he is one of three to be first team all three times. The Bryon Nelson Award finalist, had a scoring average of 69.64. He is ranked as the #2 NCAA DII golfer in the country. He was also named the GSC Golfer of the Year and helped the Flames advance to the medal match play round of the 2023 NCAA Division National Championship. In the classroom, Burnette had a 3.86 GPA as a Communications major while minoring in Public Relations and Business. Additionally, he was active in the community as he participated in reading programs at local elementary schools, youth golf clinics and Bethel Children's Home among others.
“I couldn’t think of a better person to represent Lee University and the GSC than Beck Burnette, said Director of Golf John Maupin. "It has been a privilege to watch him grow into an outstanding young man during his time at Lee. I’ve watched the way he’s worked, he earns every award that comes his way. More than that, I’ve watched the way he treats others and it’s rewarding to see great things happen for someone that goes things the right way. It’s quite a feat to win this prestigious award two years in a row. A huge congratulations to Beck!”
Lee University women's basketball player Haley Schubert was also recognized at the banquet as part of the top ten for the Gulf South Conference
Overall, the Flames have now won five commissioner's trophies which ties former members Arkansas Tech and Southern Arkansas.
The Commissioner's Trophy is the highest honor bestowed by the Conference and one of the most prestigious individual honors in Division II. The league initiated the men's award in 1974-75 and added the women's honor in 1982-83.