OGLETHORPE'S ERB AND WILLIAMS HEADLINE SOUTHERN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC
CONFERENCE'S 15TH ANNIVERSARY MEN'S GOLF
TEAM
SUWANEE, Ga. - Oglethorpe University's
Trent Erb and Tolliver Williams,
the only two-time Players-of-the-Year in Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference men's golfing history, highlight an impressive
list of 14 past standouts named to the SCAC's 15th Anniversary
men's golf team.
Erb, the league's Golfer-of-the-Year in 2003 and
2004, set the all-time conference championship 36-hole record when
he fired a two-day total of 141 at the 2003 championships at Hulman
Links Golf Club in Terre Haute, Ind. The old mark of 142 had stood
since 1964. At that same championship, he became the first player
in championships history to post a sub-70 final round score with
his second-round 69. Oglethorpe won three conference championships
during his four-year tenure. A two-time All-American selection, Erb
capped his career by being named the recipient of the 2004 Jack
Nicklaus Award - awarded to Division III Men's
Golfer-of-the-Year.
Williams earned Golfer-of-the-Year honors in 1996
and 1998, and if not for the washout of the 1997 championships,
could have been the only three-time medalist. His 146 at the 1998
championships was a then SCAC championship best and remains the
largest margin of victory in conference history (9 shots). His
record-setting performance also propelled Oglethorpe to its first
conference men's golf title. Williams was named the school's first
men's golf All-American that same year and led the Petrels to their
first-ever appearance in the Division III national
championships.
The Petrels placed five former players on the all-anniversary team.
Joining Erb and Williams on the
team from Oglethorpe is Robert Fink,
Robert Miller and Chris
Summers.
Fink finished second as a freshman at the 1999
championships, a shot behind the eventual winner, before earning a
two-shot victory to earn SCAC Men's Golfer-of-the-Year honors in
2000 at Stonebridge Golf Club in Cordova, Tenn. The Petrels won
three conference titles during Fink's tenure. As a freshman,
Miller finished third at the 2000 SCAC
Championships and duplicated the feat as a senior in 2003 when OU
won its fourth consecutive men's golf championship.
Summers is one of just four golfers to earn First
Team All-SCAC honors three times during his career (2001-03).
Summers bookended those awards with a SCAC Men's Golfer-of-the-Year
award at the 2002 championships at Deerfield Country Club in
Madison, Miss. A two-time All-American (2002-03), he and Miller are
the only members of the all-anniversary team to play on four
conference championship teams.
Sewanee-University of the South placed three golfers on the
all-anniversary team - Jack Fraleigh,
Chris Rainey and Tee
Stribling.
Fraleigh earned All-SCAC honors three times in his
career, including his freshman season when he lost in a playoff for
medalist honors at Rolling Meadows Club in Gosport, Ind., in 2001.
Rainey is one of the four anniversary team members
that earned First Team All-SCAC honors three times in their career
(1994-96), culminating with a career-best third place finish at the
1996 championships on his home course at Sewanee. As a junior, he
helped the 1995 Tiger team to its only SCAC men's golf title.
Stribling was a three-time All-SCAC performer,
including First Team honors in 1998 and 1999. He finished tied for
fourth at the 1999 championships at the Quarry Golf Club in San
Antonio, Texas.
Trinity University placed two players on the team - Derek
Birkeland and Ward Downing.
Birkeland, a two-time All-SCAC selection, earned
Golfer-of-the-Year honors in 1994 at Atlanta National Golf Club
when he outlasted teammate Tom Ming in the longest playoff in
conference history to determine medalist honors (four holes). At
that same championship, the Tigers set the SCAC record for largest
margin of victory with a 40-shot win over second-place University
of the South. Downing gave Trinity back-to-back
Golfers-of-the-Year when he earned the honor in 1995 at Chenal
Country Club in Little Rock, Ark. A two-time All-SCAC performer,
Downing was the medalist runner-up the following year.
Justin Long of Hendrix almost became the school's
first Golfer-of-the-Year when he tied for individual honors with a
closing round 71 (the best round of the day) at the 2004 SCAC
Championships. He lost medalist honors on the first playoff hole at
Renaissance Pine Isle Resort to Oglethorpe's Erb. Long also earned
All-SCAC honors in 2001 and 2002.
Russ Hawkins of Millsaps, a two-time All-SCAC
performer, captured Golfer-of-the-Year honors at the 1993 SCAC
Championships held at Woodlake Country Club in San Antonio, Texas.
His performance helped the Majors to their second consecutive men's
title.
Bryan Gibbs of Southwestern holds the distinction
of being the only four-time All-SCAC performer. He earned Second
Team honors as a freshman in 1999 and First Team honors the
following three years. He finished second and led the Pirates to
their highest finish ever (second place) at the 2000 Championships.
The following year, Gibbs finished tied for third in the individual
race - just one shot back from the leaders.
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will be announcing 15th
Anniversary teams in all 18 sports during the 2005-06 academic
year. The SCAC was formed in 1991 after a reorganization of its
predecessor, the College Athletic Conference (CAC). The CAC dates
to 1962 with four charter members: Centre College, Southwestern @
Memphis (now Rhodes College), Sewanee-The University of the South,
and Washington & Lee (Va.) University. Washington (Mo.)
University joined the CAC later that same year.
The SCAC was formed to provide an association through which the
member institutions may encourage organized competition in
intercollegiate sports among teams representative of their
respective student bodies. Members of this conference share a
commitment to priority of the overall quality of academic standards
and quality educational experiences.
The SCAC's 15th Anniversary teams were selected in each sport
through balloting by present coaches and administrators. Athletes
who participated in conference competition between the fall of 1991
through the spring of 2005 and had been named to at least two
All-SCAC teams were eligible for selection.
|
15th Anniversary Team |
All-SCAC Selections | |||||||||||||
| Name, School | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 |
| Derek Birkeland, Trinity | x | x# | ||||||||||||
| Ward Downing, Trinity | x# | x | ||||||||||||
| Trent Erb, Oglethorpe | + | x# | x# | |||||||||||
| Robert Fink, Oglethorpe | x | x# | ||||||||||||
| Jack Fraleigh, Sewanee | x | + | x | |||||||||||
| Bryan Gibbs, Southwestern | + | x | x | x | ||||||||||
| Russ Hawkins, Millsaps | x# | x | ||||||||||||
| Justin Long, Hendrix | + | + | x | |||||||||||
| Robert Miller, Oglethorpe | x | + | x | |||||||||||
| Chris Rainey, Sewanee | x | x | x | |||||||||||
| Nate Romance, DePauw | + | x | x# | |||||||||||
| Tee Stribling, Sewanee | x | x | + | |||||||||||
| Chris Summers, Oglethorpe | x | x# | x | |||||||||||
| Tolliver Williams, Oglethorpe | x | x# | x# | |||||||||||
x First Team All-SCAC
+ Second Team All-SCAC
# Golfer-of-the-Year
Due to weather, championships were not contested in 1997