2011-12 All-OVC Men's Golf Teams Announced; Jacksonville State's Anderson Named Freshman of the Year

2011-12 All-OVC Men's Golf Teams Announced; Jacksonville State's Anderson Named Freshman of the Year

DICKSON, Tenn. - Jacksonville State's Tomasz Anderson became the fourth Gamecock golfer to win the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year award on Thursday night at a banquet following the first day of play at the 2012 OVC Men's Golf Championship. The All-OVC and All-Newcomer squads were also announced at the event.

The OVC Player and Coach of the Year awards will be announced on Saturday afternoon following the final round of play at the Championship, which is being held at the GreyStone Golf Club in Dickson, Tenn.

Anderson, who was also a first-team All-OVC selection, was the top rated OVC golfer in the GolfStat National Rankings (312) while ranking eighth in the league in stroke average (73.3) during the season. Anderson started the season by winning the prestigious GolfWeek Program Challenge at the True Blue Golf Club in Pawley's Island, S.C., finishing first in a field of 60 golfers with a three-round total of 201 (-15). Anderson joins former JSU players Daniel Willett (2006), Hunter Hawkins (2009) and Matthew Wallace (2011) in winning the award which was established in 2005.

Jacksonville State senior Tom Robson was the only repeat selection on the All-OVC team, as he made his third-straight appearance on the league's top team. The team also included Austin Peay junior Dustin Korte, Eastern Illinois senior David Lawrence, Murray State junior Patrick Newcomb and Anderson, the OVC Freshman of the Year.

Robson was tied for third in the OVC in stroke average (73.0) during the regular season and helped lead the Gamecocks to the top team stroke average (292.9) in the Conference. Korte was named OVC Golfer of the Week three times during the season and had a pair of runner-up finishes in tournaments, including most recently at the Missouri Intercollegiate in early April. Lawrence is one of the most improved players in the league and entered the OVC Championship with a 72.4 stroke average, which was tied for tops in the Conference. He shared the OVC stroke average lead with Newcomb who won a league-best five OVC Golfer of the Week honors this season.

The All-OVC second-team included Eastern Kentucky teammates Brian Fister and Billy Peel, Austin Peay sophomore Anthony Bradley, Eastern Illinois senior Gino Parrodi and Jacksonville State junior Andres Schonbaum (who was a first-team selection and OVC Championship co-medalist last year and a second-team and All-Newcomer pick in 2010).

Anderson, the Freshman of the Year and All-OVC first-team selection, was one of five selections on the OVC All-Newcomer team. He was joined by Austin Peay freshman Tucker Wallace, SIUE freshman Mitchell Homb, Tennessee State freshman James Stepp and UT Martin freshman Brendon Caballero.

The 2012 OVC Men's Golf Championship continues with 18 holes on Friday and 18 holes on Saturday. Live scoring can be accessed through links at OVCSports.com.