UNF Sweeps A-Sun Golf Honors for Men

April Goode

Sports Coordinator, Athletics Media Relations

(904) 620-4026

A great year for the UNF golf program culminated in a pair of Ospreys earning the Atlantic Sun’s top individual postseason awards as All-American Sean Dale won Player of the Year and US Open participant Kevin Phelan captured the Freshman of the Year award. Head coach Scott Schroeder was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year. Senior J.C. Horne earned second team all-conference honors.

“Congrats to all three of those guys on having great years,” said Schroeder. “It shows how solid we were this year with three getting recognized. For me to be coach of the year is a great honor, but it is really a testament to the great group of players I have who are working hard to do their best each time out.”

Dale, who transferred back to his home city of Jacksonville, Fla. after a year at Ole Miss, and the freshman Phelan brought an influx of talent to the Ospreys that had the team ranked in the top-25 all season long.

Dale opened his season by winning the Wolf Run Intercollegiate. He climbed up to No. 1 in the country during the fall and during the spring never finished worse than 11th in five events. In NCAA play, he took 10th at the South Central Regional and finished as the low A-Sun representative at the NCAA Nationals earlier this month, tying for 25th. PING and the Golf Coaches Association of America named Dale a Second Team All-America, a first for the conference since ETSU’s Gareth Shaw two years ago.

Phelan unanimously earned Freshman of the Year after claiming seven top-10 finishes during the regular season including four during the month of March which led to him winning Golfer of the Month honors for March. He spearheaded the Ospreys’ fourth-place showing at the South Central Regional, taking second place, highlighted by an opening round 6-under, 66. In addition to the individual honor, Phelan was a member of the All-Freshman Team and joined Dale on the All-Atlantic Sun First-Team.

Horne, rounded out the Ospreys’ All-Conference choices. He posted 10 sub-par rounds this season including a season low 68 at the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate. Horne shot a 2-under, 70 in the final round of the NCAA Championships.

Schroeder won his second Coach of the Year award in three seasons. He led the Ospreys to 13 top-10 finishes this season, including 11 top-5 and eight top-3 finishes. UNF won two tournament titles this season including the John Hayt Intercollegiate and the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate. The Ospreys qualified for the NCAA Championships where they finished 14th out of 30 teams.

Dale and Phelan broke ETSU’s stranglehold on the individual awards. Buccaneers had won the last four Player of the Year awards and the last three Freshman of the Year honors.

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