• 2016-17 All-OVC Men's Golf Teams (PDF) | Photo Gallery
MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – SIUE's Luke Long was named 2016-17 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year award on Monday night at a banquet following the first day of play at the 2017 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 Wednesday afternoon following the final round of play at the Championship, which is being held at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
Long is the first SIUE player to earn Freshman of the Year honors since the Cougars began play in the championship in 2013. The Fayetteville, Arkansas native stepped into the No. 1 spot for SIUE this season and netted seven Top 20 and two Top 10 finishes. He was eighth at the Arkansas State Red Wolf Intercollegiate in early April and tied for 10th at the Loyola Intercollegiate to start the spring semester. Overall Long had a 73.7 scoring average on the season (which ranked 12th in the OVC).
For the fifth year in a row the All-OVC team was comprised of one 10-person squad instead of two five-member teams as done in past seasons. The All-OVC team included three seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and a freshman.
The team included two repeat selections from last year in UT Martin junior
Hunter Richardson and Eastern Kentucky junior
Will Sallee. The two also included three additional players who had previously been named OVC All-Newcomer picks in Eastern Kentucky sophomore
Erik Lindwall, Jacksonville State senior
Jamie Mist and UT Martin senior
Austin Swafford. The team was rounded out by Jacksonville State senior
Camilo Aguado and junior
Pablo Torres, Eastern Kentucky junior
Noah Combs, Eastern Illinois sophomore
Alvaro Hernandez and SIUE's Long, the Freshman of the Year.
Long, the Freshman of the Year, also headlined the five-person All-Newcomer squad. He was joined by Austin Peay junior
Hunter Tidwell, Belmont freshman
Nate Thomson, Murray State freshman
Austin Knight and Eastern Kentucky freshman
Billy Basham.
The 2017 OVC Men’s Golf Championship continues with 18 holes on Tuesday and 18 holes on Wednesday. Live scoring can be accessed through links at OVCSports.com.
2016-17 OVC Men’s Golf Award Winners
OVC Freshman of the Year: Luke Long, SIUE
2016-17 All-OVC Men’s Golf Team
Hunter Richardson, UT Martin
Camilo Aguado, Jacksonville State
Noah Combs, Eastern Kentucky
Erik Lindwall, Eastern Kentucky
Jamie Mist, Jacksonville State
Will Sallee, Eastern Kentucky
Pablo Torres, Jacksonville State
Alvaro Hernandez, Eastern Illinois
Luke Long, SIUE
Austin Swafford, UT Martin
2016-17 OVC All-Newcomer Team
Luke Long, SIUE
Hunter Tidwell, Austin Peay
Nate Thomson, Belmont
Austin Knight, Murray State
Billy Basham, Eastern Kentucky