ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced the recipients of their 2024 men’s golf awards on Wednesday. The awards are nominated and voted on by the conference head coaches.
The University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets’
Conner Willard was named the UMAC Player of the Year. The senior was the Individual Champion at the UMAC Championship, leading the conference field at +14 for the three-round tournament with the best single-round score of the championship at +1 on the final day. Willard tied for the second-best full season average score in the conference at 76.5 (adjusted to 74.24 for awards voting per the coaches’ guidelines) through 13 rounds. Additionally, Willard was the medalist at the Twin Ports Collegiate and had a low round of -3 this fall.
The Martin Luther College Knights’
Benjamin Pearson was named the UMAC Rookie of the Year. The freshman had a season average score of 78.7 (adjusted to 77.20 for awards voting per the coaches’ guidelines) through 11 rounds, which ranked 10
th in the conference. At the UMAC Championship, Pearson tied for sixth overall at +23 for the three-day tournament. Additionally, Pearson had four top-five finishes this fall.
The North Central University Rams Head Coach
Greg Sweeney was named the UMAC Coach of the Year. In his 2
nd season as the Rams’ Director of Golf Operations, Coach Sweeney led North Central to win the UMAC Championship for the first time since 2012 and the fifth time in program history. Sweeney’s Rams won the conference title with a team score of +90 for the three-round tournament, finishing five strokes ahead of the runner-up.
The Crown College Polars won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season, including the championship event.
15 student-athletes were named all-conference. Each team also had one representative named to the all-sportsmanship team.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Conner Willard | UW-Superior Yellowjackets
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Benjamin Pearson | Martin Luther Knights
COACH OF THE YEAR
Greg Sweeney | North Central Rams
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Crown Polars
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown / High School |
| Nate Burke |
UW-Superior |
Sr. |
Duluth, Minn. / Denfeld |
| Keaton Ginter |
Bethany Lutheran |
Jr. |
Faribault, Minn. / Faribault |
| Shane Seiffert |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Corcoran, Minn. / Robbinsdale Armstrong |
| Jacob Sweeney |
North Central |
Gr. |
Madera, Calif. / Liberty |
| Conner Willard |
UW-Superior |
Sr. |
Hibbing, Minn. / Hibbing |
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown / High School |
| Hector Avila |
North Central |
Fr. |
McAllen, Texas / McAllen Memorial |
| Jacob Brown |
North Central |
So. |
Rochester, Minn. / Mayo |
| Benjamin Pearson |
Martin Luther |
Fr. |
New Ulm, Minn. / Minnesota Valley Lutheran |
| Andrew Rude |
UW-Superior |
Jr. |
Superior, Wis. / Superior |
| Gordon Skaar |
Northwestern |
Gr. |
Coleraine, Minn. / Homeschool |
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTIONS
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown / High School |
| Cameron Jackson |
North Central |
So. |
Poplar Bluff, Mo. / Poplar Bluff |
| Noah Klapmeier |
North Central |
Fr. |
Mora, Minn. / Mora |
| Carson Mersberger |
Northwestern |
Fr. |
Kiel, Wis. / Elkhart Lake-Glenbeaulah |
| Jakob Swanson |
Bethany Lutheran |
Jr. |
Apple Valley, Minn. / Eastview |
| Adam Thomas |
Crown |
Jr. |
St. Bonifacius, Minn. / Waconia |
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown / High School |
| William Burns |
North Central |
Fr. |
Lake Charles, La. / Sam Houston |
| Carter Dilly |
Northwestern |
So. |
Henning, Minn. / Henning |
| Nathan Halseth |
Crown |
Jr. |
North Branch, Minn. / North Branch |
| Gabe Long |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Deerwood, Minn. / Aitkin |
| Teien Murphy |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
Minnesota Lake, Minn. / Maple River |
| Andrew Rude |
UW-Superior |
Jr. |
Superior, Wis. / Superior |
| Noah Walta |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Fond du Lac, Wis. / Winnebago Lutheran Academy |
| Andrew Yocum |
Northland |
So. |
St. Louis, Mo. |
The UMAC is an NCAA Division III member comprised of eight full-time member schools from Minnesota and Wisconsin: Bethany Lutheran College, Crown College, Martin Luther College, North Central University, Northland College, University of Minnesota Morris, University of Northwestern, and University of Wisconsin-Superior.