Hawks’ Shephard and Schreyer headline All-Conference golf team
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (huntingdonhawks.com) – The Huntingdon men’s golf team took two top honors and had five golfers recognized with the release of the USA South All-Conference awards on Thursday.
Freshman Stephen Shephard was named USA South Rookie of the Year and Director of Golf Dave Schreyer was named USA South Coach of the Year. Junior Addison Lambeth was named first-team All-Conference and senior David James and juniors Chad Ring and Will Thrash were each named honorable mention All-Conference. James was also named to the All-Sportsmanship team for a second straight season.
“It is a great honor for our team to have all five golfers recognized for their hard work. I am very proud of the players and men they are becoming,” Schreyer said. “It is great to have a freshman contribute the way Stephen has this year. It’s invaluable for him to be able to learn under a player like Addison.
“I am honored to be named Coach of the Year by my peers. That means a lot. But it is a reflection of the commitment this team has shown to trust the process. I am blessed to coach a determined group of young men who make me look good.”
Shephard is the first Huntingdon golfer to earn USA South Rookie of the Year honors. In 15 rounds this season, the Niceville, Fla., native is averaging 75.8 per round. He turned in his best collegiate round with a 3-under-par 69 in the final round of the Wynlakes Intercollegiate. Shephard shot a 3-under 141 in the tournament and won in a playoff.
Lambeth is Huntingdon’s first first-team All-Conference selection in the USA South.
The fourth-ranked golfer in Division III, he is averaging 71.85 per round and has turned in nine straight rounds of par or better. He has shot par or better 12 times in 20 rounds since the start of the fall. In nine tournaments, the Greensboro, N.C., native has finished in the top-five six times, including winning the Emory Spring Invitational and the O’Briant-Jensen Memorial.
His two-round 133 in the Emory Invitational is the best two-round total by a Huntingdon golfer during the NCAA era. Lambeth shot his best round as a Hawk with a 4-under 66 in the final round at Emory and became just the sixth Huntingdon golfer to shoot 66 during the NCAA era. Lambeth’s win in the O’Briant-Jensen Memorial was the first individual win since the 2011-12 season and helped the Hawks to their first team win since the 2010-11 season.
James, who was also named honorable mention All-Conference last season, is averaging 75.22 in 18 rounds this season and has finished in the top-seven twice in eight tournaments. James fired his best collegiate round with a 6-under 66 in the second round of the Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational. He was just the fifth Huntingdon golfer to shoot a 66 during the NCAA era and the first since the 2008-09 season. James and Lambeth are the first two Huntingdon golfers to shoot 66 in the same season since the 2005-06 season. The Columbus, Ga., native also shot a 1-under 69 in the final round of the Emory Spring Invitational.
Ring, a native of Peachtree City, Ga., is averaging 75.17 in 18 rounds this season. In eight tournaments this season, he has finished in the top-nine four times, including tying for third in the O’Briant-Jensen Memorial. Ring turned in his best round of the season with a 3-under 68 in the Golfweek D3 Invitational. He also shot a 3-under 69 in the Royal Lakes Invitational.
Thrash, a second-team All-Conference selection last season, is averaging 75.25 in 20 rounds this season. The Prattville, Ala., native, averaged 75.8 per round last season. Thrash earned his first collegiate win this season with a 3-under 141 in the Callaway Gardens Invitational. He shot a 3-under 69 in the opening round at Callaway. Thrash’s performance, along with Lambeth’s tie for second, helped the Hawks win at Callaway and edge conference rival and defending national champion Methodist by three strokes.
Schreyer is in his fourth spring as Huntingdon’s head coach. He has guided the Hawks to four team wins this season, the most since Huntingdon won five tournaments during the 2009-10 season. Before this season, Huntingdon’s last team win was in the 2010-11 season. The Hawks have climbed from a ranking of 33rd at the end of the 2014-15 season to seventh this season. The Hawks, who averaged 303.84 per round last season, are averaging 295.40 per round this season. In addition to the four wins, Huntingdon has finished 10th or better in all nine events this season, third or better in five events and seventh or better in eight events.
LaGrange’s Logan Lanier was named the USA South Golfer of the Year. Lanier is averaging 71.2 in 18 rounds and has shot par or better 13 times.
The Hawks are the No. 2 seed entering the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament in Rocky Mount, N.C. The tournament will begin on Friday and conclude on Sunday.
