College Men’s Golf News – Guilford’s Thompson Named ODAC Golfer of the Year

CONOVER, N.C. – Guilford College senior Drew Thompson (Pickerington, Ohio/North Pickerington) earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s (ODAC) Men’s Golfer of the Year Award Monday night. League officials announced the honor at the annual awards banquet held in conjunction with the ODAC Tournament at the Rock Barn Golf and Spa. Thompson is Guilford’s 14th ODAC Golfer of the Year and its first since Noah Ratner ’13 in 2013.

Thompson earned First Team All-ODAC honors along with sophomore teammate Ty Palmer (Kernersville, N.C./Forsyth Country Day). Guilford sophomore Tanner Gross (Archdale, N.C./Homeschooled) and rookie Harrison Frye (High Point, N.C./High Point Central) garnered second-team All-ODAC recognition. Shenandoah University’s Scott Singhass won the Jack Jensen ODAC Coach of the Year Award, named in honor of the longtime Guilford golf mentor.

Thompson earned his fourth all-league commendation and his third first-team honor. He opened the ODAC Tournament with a league-best 73.70 stroke average in 20 rounds. Ranked 22nd in the latest Golfstat.com Division III ratings, he has placed 15th or higher in six of the Quakers’ eight tournaments this year with three top-10 efforts. Thompson has had the Quakers’ top finish in three events this season and a club-best six rounds of par or lower. He shot a two-under 70 as part of his 54-hole 218 to place sixth at the Gordin Classic in his native Ohio Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

Palmer captured a league-best three ODAC Golfer of the Week Awards on the way to his second career First Team All-ODAC honor. He started the tournament with the league’s fourth-best stroke average (74.6) thanks in part to five rounds of par or better. He shot 66-66-74-206 to win the Gordin Classic by nine strokes with the second-lowest 54-hole score in school history. The victory was Palmer’s first as a collegian. He was runner-up at the Wynlakes Intercollegiate Mar. 30-31 after shooting two-under-par 72-70-142. Palmer has had Guilford’s best performance in five tournaments this year, including the four spring events.

The reigning ODAC Rookie of the Year and a 2014 first-team all-conference pick, Gross collected his second All-ODAC prize in as many seasons. He recorded a 75.7 stroke average over 21 rounds, the league’s sixth-best figure. Gross has five rounds of par or better and earned the ODAC Golfer of the Week Award Sept. 29 after an eighth-place result at the Tournament Town Preview, his best of five top-20 efforts this year.

Frye, one of three rookies named to the all-conference squad, landed second-team honors thanks to his 75.8 stroke average in 21 rounds. At the start of the week his stroke average stood seventh in the league, tops among freshmen. Frye shot a career-low 69 at the Wynlakes Intercollegiate and shared second place with Palmer after shooting 69-73-142. He finished 21st or higher at five tournaments.
Coach Justin Tereshko’s Quakers are bidding for their league-record 15th ODAC Tournament title and their fifth straight. Sunday’s first round was canceled due to rain and Monday’s round was suspended by weather. The teams will complete Monday’s round and play 18 holes Tuesday to determine the conference champion and recipient of the league’s automatic NCAA Division III Championships berth.

Guilford and the Greensboro Sports Commission will again co-host the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships May 12-15 at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center. The Quakers and Sports Commission also hosted the national tournament at Grandover in 2011 and 2014.