GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College’s Tanner Gross (Archdale, N.C./Homeschooled) received the Golf Coaches’ Association of America’s (GCAA) Phil Mickelson Award Friday at the conclusion of the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Tournament at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center. Gross is the Quakers first recipient of the honor, which is given annually to the top freshman in NCAA Division III.
Gross led Guilford with a 74.44 stroke average in 27 rounds. He earned PING NCAA Division III All-South Region honors earlier this week and was the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s (ODAC) Rookie of the Year. Also a member of PING’s six-man NCAA Division III All-Freshman Team, he was a First Team All-ODAC honoree and recorded top-12 finishes in eight events this season. His stroke average stands 18th in school history and is the best mark by a rookie since Noah Ratner ’13, who had the Quakers’ fifth-best season average in school history (73.07) in 2010-11.
Gross Division III Winner of Phil Mickelson
Outstanding Freshman Award presented by the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Tanner Gross of Guilford has been named recipient of the Phil Mickelson Outstandng Freshman Award presented by the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation as the most outstanding freshman in Division III men’s golf.
Gross claimed two victories this season – a tie for first at the ODAC Championship and the top spot in a dual versus Greensboro College. He also tallied six additional top 10 finishes and only placed outside the top 20 three times in 12 events. Gross was previously named ODAC Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-ODAC.