IRVING, Texas - Conference USA today announced its 2016 Men's Golf All-Conference Teams as well as its specialty award winners. Awards are designated based on Golfstat individual rankings following the 2016 Conference USA Men's Golf Championship. Junior Frederik Dreier of UTEP earns Golfer of the Year accolades, while North Texas' Ian Snyman claims Freshman of the Year honors. In a vote of the league's head coaches, Alan Murray of UAB has been selected Coach of the Year.
Dreier earns the league's highest honor as well as first-team recognition following a standout season. The junior leads the league with a 71.81 season stroke average, competing in 11 tournaments for the Miners. He topped the Miners' card in eight events, totaling five top-10 finishes. Dreier earned runner-up laurels at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate at placed third at the Gene Miranda Invitational, receiving C-USA Golfer of the Week accolades for his performance. He notched a 2-over 218 at the 2016 C-USA Men's Golf Championship to tie for sixth. The Birkeroed, Denmark, native fired a personal-best round, carding an 8-under 64 at the Price's Give ‘Em Five Invitational. Additionally, Dreier is a First-Team All-C-USA selection and was one of six members named to the 2016 C-USA Men's Golf All-Academic Team last month.
Snyman was named Freshman of the Year following a solid rookie campaign that saw him earn four top-10 finishes and carry a 73.39 season stroke average through 33 rounds played. He had quite the start to his collegiate career, tying for fifth place at the Memphis Intercollegiate in September, including a second-round 69 to earn C-USA Golfer of the Week honors. Snyman garnered his second C-USA weekly accolade in April after posting a career-best 67 in the second round of The Aggie Invitational. The South African tied for sixth at the C-USA Championship, helping North Texas advance to the match play portion of the event. Snyman also garnered Second-Team All-Conference USA honors along with Mean Green teammates junior Cory Churchman and freshman Thomas Rosenmueller. Snyman and Rosenmueller were additionally named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
Murray earns his first C-USA Coach of the Year award in just his third season as head coach of the Blazers. Consistently ranked among the top teams in the country, UAB has finished as runner-up in the C-USA Championship in each of his three seasons at the helm, advancing to the match play final in each of the past two championships. During the 2015-16 campaign, Murray's squad collected six top-three finishes, facing top-tier competition throughout the NCAA. The Blazers won their signature event, the Graeme McDowell Shoal Creek Invitational, by a commanding 15 strokes over the nearest opponent. The team leads the league with a 289.46 scoring average in 12 tournaments this season.
UAB boasts a pair of first-team members in sophomores Taylor Eyster and Lee Hodges, who both earned C-USA All-Freshman Team laurels a year ago. Eyster was the 2016 C-USA Men's Golf Championship individual medalist. The outright leader for 53 holes, Eyster was able to stave off a final-round comeback attempt by Louisiana Tech's Victor Lange as Eyster won the event in a one-hole playoff. His played helped propel the Blazers to the No. 1 seed heading into the match play semifinals, where he won both his semifinal (3&2) and final matches (1UP). The homegrown product fired a personal-best 64 in the opening round of the championship, burying seven birdies and eagling the par-5 seventh hole (525 yards). Eyster has a 73.06 scoring average on the season, registering four top-10 finishes on the campaign. He finished third at the Graeme McDowell Shoal Creek Invitational and tied for fourth at the Robert Kepler Invitational.
Hodges, the 2015 C-USA Freshman of the Year, leads a stacked Blazer squad with a 72.78 season stroke average through 11 tournaments to date. He was the Sept. 30 C-USA Golfer of the Week after claiming medalist honors with a 5-under 211 and leading the Blazers to the team title at the Graeme McDowell Shoal Creek Invitational. The Elkmont, Alabama, native helped pace UAB to the No. 1 seed heading into the match play semifinals at the C-USA Championship, posting a commanding 5&4 victory in the semifinal round.
Blazer senior Martin Rohwer was named Second-Team All-Conference USA, his third all-conference honor.
Louisiana Tech standout senior Victor Lange repeats as a member of the All-Conference USA first team as he wraps up a stellar career for the Bulldogs. Lange guided the Bulldogs to the 2016 C-USA Championship team title, the program's first conference championship since 1980, and was named to the C-USA Championship All-Tournament Team. He surged during stroke play, carding a 7-under 65 over the final round to move into a tie atop the leaderboard and force a playoff. His performance helped LA Tech to the No. 2 seed for the match play portion of the event. The South African won his semifinal match in 20 holes before taking his championship match 3&2. During the 2015-16 campaign, Lange has totaled five top-10 finishes, carding a 72.50 season stroke average, second in the league only to Dreier. He earned individual medalist honors at the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational with a 1-under 212 (73-71-68), while his 8-under 205 at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate ranks seventh in the conference for best performance relative to par this season. This is his second appearance on the All-Conference USA first team (2015) and third All-C-USA accolade overall (second team, 2014). Lange was the 2015 C-USA Golfer of the Year, is a two-time C-USA All-Academic Team member and a five-time C-USA Golfer of the Week. An NCAA Regional participant as an individual the past two year, Lange and the Bulldogs earned the league's automatic bid to the postseason. The team will learn its regional site and opponents when selections are announced live on the Golf Channel's Morning Drive on Thursday, May 5 at 9:30 a.m. CDT.
Rounding out the first team is junior Seth Gandy of Charlotte. Gandy earns his first all-conference honors after a career year for the 49ers, holding a team-best 73.19 season stroke average in 27 rounds played. After teeing off in only two events during the fall, Gandy played a strong spring season, earning three top-10 placements, including a pair of fourth-place finishes. He helped pace the Niners to the team title at the Davidson Invitational. The Huntersville, North Carolina, native also led Charlotte at the C-USA Championship, tying for fourth to earn All-Tournament Team accolades. Fellow 49er Victor Wiggins was named to the C-USA second team.
2015-16 CONFERENCE USA MEN'S GOLF AWARDS
Golfer of the Year: Frederik Dreier, UTEP
Freshman of the Year: Ian Snyman, North Texas
Coach of the Year: Alan Murray, UAB
First Team
Seth Gandy, Charlotte
Victor Lange, Louisiana Tech
Taylor Eyster, UAB
Lee Hodges, UAB
Frederik Dreier, UTEP
Second Team
Victor Wiggins, Charlotte
Cory Churchman, North Texas
Thomas Rosenmueller, North Texas
Ian Snyman, North Texas
Martin Rohwer, UAB
All-Freshman Team
Thomas Rosenmueller, North Texas
Ian Snyman, North Texas
Will Voetsch, Rice
Tim Harry, UAB
Andreas Sorenson, UTEP
FOLLOW US, LIKE US
Fans can follow C-USA online on Twitter (@Conference_USA) with the hashtag #CUSAGOLF or #BeTheNext, on Facebook (facebook.com/ConferenceUSA) and Instagram (ConferenceUSA).