NORMAN, Okla. -- Delta State University men's golfer Zach Zediker was announced as one of five NCAA Division II finalists for the prestigious Jack Nicklaus Award by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Friday. The 2020 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Golf.com will be announced during the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, scheduled July 13-19.
"I'm extremely proud of Zach for being named a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus award," Delta State Men's Golf Coach Easton Key said. "His hard work and dedication to be the best he can be has paid off and I feel he fully deserves to win this prestigious award."
Zediker adds the honor to an ever-growing list of honors that includes Delta State's Charles S. Kerg Top Male Senor Student-Athlete Award, PING First-Team All-American and All-South Region while also being selected as the only Division II member on the United States Arnold Palmer Cup team. Zediker played in all six events before the spring season was canceled, garnering GSC Golfer of the Month twice and finishing ranked No. 2 in the Golfstat and GCAA DII National rankings.
The Panama City, Fla., was the low medalist in four tournaments and runner-up in two in 2020.
After finishing second in the season opener at the Cougar Invitational, Zediker went on a tear by capturing the Derrall Foreman Invitational individual title, the NCAA Division II National Preview title, the Matt Dyas Invitational title, and the Hurricane Invitational individual title. Zediker closed the year with a runner-up finish at the Mississippi College Invitational in February.
In the classroom, Zediker earned Gulf South Conference All-Academic team honors in 2018-19. His 3.38 GPA in health, physical education, and recreation landed him on the GSC Spring Academic Honor Roll three times.
The current Men's Golf team SAAC representative also made his presence felt in the community and on campus. His community activities include time at the Bolivar County Animal Shelter, reading at Pearman Elementary School, Sacred Heart Missions, and working with special needs kids. On-campus activities include volunteer timer at Delta State Swimming and Diving meets, participating in the Pink Mile walk for breast cancer awareness, Delta Down and Dirty mud run for youth, DSU athletics Trunk-or-Treat, and with Make-A-Wish fundraisers events.
Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion at The Ohio State University, helped inspire and create the Jack Nicklaus Award in 1988 and it is now presented to the National Player of the year in NCAA Divisions I, II and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA
"The Jack Nicklaus award is such a prestigious award for many reasons. Simply put, Jack Nicklaus embodies the gold standard in the game of golf," said GCAA President Greg Sands. "It's extremely exciting to see these student-athletes be recognized for their hard work, commitment, and dedication. On behalf of the GCAA and our entire coaching community, we are thrilled to honor this award during such unique times."
"I have a special place in my heart for this award, and it's always been a highlight for us at the Memorial Tournament when we have the opportunity to recognize these young men," Nicklaus said. "Like so many student-athletes around the world, these golfers have been stripped of competition, championships and other moments to create lasting memories. I am delighted to see that the GCAA and Golf.com have worked to keep this well-deserved honor moving forward."
Division I Finalists
Division I finalists included John Augenstein of Vanderbilt, Baylor's Cooper Dossey, Garett Reband of Oklahoma, Sahith Theegala of Pepperdine, and Georgia's Davis Thompson.
- Augenstein had one victory during the 2019-20 season, where he shot a Vanderbilt program-low round of 63 en route to a win at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate. The Owensboro, Ky., native posted a 69.95 scoring average over 19 rounds during his senior year, with seven of the rounds being in the 60s. Augenstein also had two other top-five finishes, one top-10 finish, and was named a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award.
- Dossey owns a school single-season record 69.72 scoring average in 18 rounds played during the 2019-20 season, with 14 of his rounds at 70 or below. The senior had a pair of victories, two runner-up finishes, and finished top-25 in all six events.
- A Fort Worth, Texas, native, Reband posted a 69.39 scoring average during his senior campaign. Six of his 18 rounds being in the 60s. The senior tied for first at the Puerto Rico Classic and earned six top-10 finishes.
- Theegala won a pair of tournaments, claiming victories at the Southwest Invitational and the Alister Mackenzie Invitational. The Chino Hills, Calif., native also posted four top-10 finishes and finished inside the top-20 in all eight events. The senior finished the season with a 69.04 scoring average over 24 rounds played and was named a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award.
- Thompson had one victory in 2019-20, winning the Jim Rivers Invitational. A native of Auburn Ala., Thompson also had four additional top-10 showings. He ended his season with a scoring average of 69.95, including nine rounds in the 60s.
Division II Finalists
Division II finalists included Dan Bradbury of Lincoln Memorial, Vincent Norrman of Georgia Southwestern, Max O'Hagan of Florida Tech, Elis Svard of CSU Monterey Bay, and Delta State's Zach Zediker.
- Bradbury posted a scoring average of 70.25 his junior campaign. He won three tournaments, claiming victories at the State Farm Intercollegiate, Men's South Region Preview, and the Battle at Hilton Head. Bradbury also had four other top-five finishes and finished inside the top-25 in all eight events.
- Norrman, a senior from Stockholm, Sweden, won five times and finished inside the top-10 in all seven events played. He finished with a scoring average of 69.25 and was ranked No. 1 in the Golfstat NCAA Division II ranking.
- O'Hagan claimed one victory and finished inside the top-eight in six of his seven events. The Surrey, England, native shot par or better in 14 of his 20 rounds played and is ranked No. 3 in the Golfstat NCAA Division II rankings.
- During 2019-20, Svard lowered his school record stroke average after posting a 71.18 average. The senior won the Dennis Rose Invitational, claimed five top-five finishes, and finished inside the top-10 in all six events.
Division III Finalists
Division III finalists for the award included Emmet Herb of St. Thomas (MN), Jason Li of Carnegie Mellon, Drew Mathers of Huntingdon, Cade Osgood of Southwestern (TX), and Rob Wuethrich of Illinois Wesleyan.
- Herb posted a scoring average of 71.41 over the course of the season and shot 71 or better in 12 of his 15 rounds played. Herb claimed a victory at the MIAC meet and was ranked No. 4 in the final Golfstat NCAA Division II ranking.
- Li finished 2019-20 with a scoring average of 70.90 through 14 rounds played. The junior shot par or lower in 10 of his 14 rounds played. Li finished the season ranked No. 6 in the final Golfstat NCAA Division III ranking.
- Mathers averaged a 69.29 scoring average this season. In his 17 rounds played the senior had 13 rounds of par or better, and posted eight rounds in the 60s. The Mobile, Ala., native ranked No. 2 in the Golfstat NCAA Division III rankings and was the only Division III golfer named to the Ben Hogan Award watchlist.
- Osgood registered a school-record 71.62 scoring average over 13 rounds. The senior finished the season ranked No. 6 in the Golfstat Division III rankings which was a school-record finish.
- Wuethrich posted a scoring average of 70.2 and finished the year ranked No. 1 in the final Golfstat NCAA Division III rankings. The junior had four victories, with wins coming at the CCIW Preview, Gordin Collegiate Classic, and Golfweek Fall Preview, and the Tim Kopka Memorial Tournament. Wuethrich did not finish outside the top-six this season.
NAIA Finalists
NAIA finalists include Noah Hofman of Ottawa (AZ), Keiser's Carl Didrik Meen Fosaas, Dalton State's Ben Rebne, Eli Scott of Coastal Georgia, and Eric Wowor of Point.
- Hofman finished the season as the top-ranked golfer in the Golfstat NAIA rankings, with a scoring average of 70.05. The senior posted 15 of his 20 rounds under par and won three individual titles.
- Meen Fosaas, a native of Norway, won twice, claiming victories at the Innisbrook Invite and the Adamonis Invite while also finishing inside the top-10 in all 10 tournaments played. The sophomore posted a scoring average of 71.62 and totaled 17 rounds of par or better.
- A Ringgold, Ga., native, Rebne posted a scoring average of 70.89 his senior campaign, and finished the season ranked third in the final NAIA Golfstat Ranking. Rebne won four individual titles, posted five top-five finishes, and never finished outside the top-10 in all six events.
- Scott finished his sophomore season with a scoring average of 71.75. He was sixth in the final NAIA Golfstat Ranking. The sophomore won the Coastal Georgia Invitational, posted three top-five finishes, and finished inside the top-10 in six tournaments played.
- Wowor posted a scoring average of 71.99 this season. The Johannesburg, South Africa, native finished the year ranked ninth in the season's final Golfstat NAIA ranking.
NJCAA Finalists
NJCAA finalists include Charlie Crockett of Hutchinson, Trey Fessler of Mesa, Jon Hopkins of Mississippi Gulf Coast, Tom Matthews of Eastern Florida State, Jacob Skov Oleseon of Ranger, and South Mountain's Gabriel Salvanera.
- Crockett won three individual titles in six events played, while also registering two top-25 finishes. The sophomore totaled a 72.28 stroke average and had 10 rounds at par or below. Crockett finished the season ranked 12th in the final Golfstat NJCAA DI Ranking.
- Fessler posted a scoring average of 70.86 and was ranked fourth in the final Golfstat NJCAA DI rankings. Fessler opened the season with a runner-up finish at the Desert Classic before adding three more top-five finishes. He did not place outside of the top 25 in any event this year.
- Hopkins recorded a trio of wins during 2019-20, claiming victories at the Itawamba Fall Invite, NJCAA Tournament Preview, and MGCCC Fall invite. The Bishop's Stortford, England, native also totaled four top-10 finishes over the course of the season. Hopkins tallied a scoring average of 71.74 and was ranked third in the final Golfstat NJCAA DII ranking.
- Matthews finished his sophomore season with a stroke average of 72.05. He earned one individual victory during, two runner-up finishes, and did not place outside the top five in six events.
- Oleseon posted a scoring average of 67.93 his freshman season. He was the top-ranked golfer in NJCAA Division I. The freshman earned three individual victories and three top-10 finishes in six total events this year.
- Salvanera posted a scoring average of 69.33. He was the top-ranked golfer in NJCAA Division II, according to Golfstat. The freshman claimed a pair of victories and finished inside the top five in his other six starts during the year.
