The Chattanooga Mocs men’s golf team earned the Golf Coaches Association of America Outstanding Team Academic Award. They’re one of 240 schools across six divisions of collegiate competition to get the award.
Chattanooga, Furman, UNCG and Samford were the Southern Conference programs recognized with team honors by the GCAA. The prize requires a 3.0 grade point average or better.
The Mocs were led by Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars Samuel Espinosa and Paul Conroy. Their story was told here yesterday.
Today is about the group.
And what a group it was. Not only did they rank in the top 40 competitively winning twice as a team with two individual medalists, but they also excelled in the classroom. Seven – Conroy, Espinosa, Garrett Engle, Nick Etherton, Ward Harris, Carson Johnson & Braedon Wear – made the Dean’s List with two more – Dalton Chuba & John Houk – joining them on the A.D. Honor Roll. Conroy had a 4.0 year, while Harris had a perfect semester in the fall.
"As a group, we have a standard to meet on and off the course," Coach Blaine Woodruff began. "I'm proud of the way our guys go about their business in everything they do. It's really sticking to the mantra 'how you do anything is how you do everything.'"
Conroy is currently on the PGA TOUR Americas, while Espinosa and Houk prepare for Q School. Engle and Wear return this fall with summer wins under their belts. Engle claimed the Dogwood Invitational crown, while Wear captured the trophy at the Beaver Bend Invite. Engle has qualified for the U.S. Amateur in August at Hazeltine National Golf Club (Chaska, Minn.).
The Mocs return to campus in August. The schedule for 2024-25 will be released in short order. Keep an eye on GoMocs.com for updates on summer play and looking ahead towards the new campaign.