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The Emory University golf program enjoyed a fine 2006-07 season that was full of highlights both from a team an individual standpoint. Playing in the always competitive South Region, which boasted six of the Top 10 teams in Division III, the Eagles accomplished the following:
** A No. 10 national ranking in the final Golf World/Nike Golf Division III Poll
** A championship effort at the University Athletic Association Championship, its first conference crown since 2004 and the 11th in the history of Emory golf. The Eagles outdistanced runner-up New York University by 11 strokes and saw all five players earn All-UAA recognition. In addition, Head Coach Mike Phillips and his assistant, Mike DiLonardo, were recognized as the UAA’s Coaching Staff of the Year Award recipients.
** The program’s fifth straight and 12th-ever bid to the NCAA Championships where it posted a 14th-place finish.
** A team title at the Rhodes College Fall Classic in the season opener, defeating Oglethorpe in a playoff.
** Emory’s first-ever championship at the prestigious Gordin Collegiate Classic with the Eagles’ score of 581 representing the second-best 36-hole mark in the history of the tournament.
Rod Olivero was the lone senior on the squad hand is play lived up to the expectations of an experienced veteran. In 25 rounds of competition over 11 tourneys, Olivero averaged a team-best 74.9 strokes per outing, good for fourth place on Emory’s seasonal list. A PING All-South Region honoree, he either led or shared the lead as the team’s top performer in a total of seven tournaments including back-to-back medalist honor performances at the Oglethorpe Fall Invitational (Oct. 30-31, 2006) and the Gordin Collegiate Classic (Oct. 15-16, 2006). At the Gordin Collegiate Classic, his 36-hole score of 138 (68-70) established a school record while his opening-round mark tied for third on the Eagles’ all-time list for low round. His classy first-place score of 140 at the Oglethorpe Invitational tied for third all-time at Emory for a 36-hole tourney. He registered a total of six top 10 finishes during the course of the year.
Sophomore Jeremy Evans blossomed into a consistent player and enjoyed a solid spring season that saw him bring home PING All-South Region accolades. Evans finished the year with a 75.1 strokes average, good for sixth place on the school’s seasonal ladder. The second-year standout was a model of consistency and recorded six top-five finishes. He ranked as the Eagles’ top shooter in four events including tying for first place overall out of 78 entrants at the Emory Spring Invitational (Apr. 8-9, 2007). At the Greensboro Invitational (Oct. 2-3, 2006), Evans posted a second-place finish out of 81 competitors with his 36-hole score of 140 tying for the third lowest mark in school history.
A pair of freshmen, Raffi Simel and John Ross both made the most of their playing opportunities and emerged as key ingredients to the Eagles’ success. Simel played in seven of the team’s 11 outings and averaged 77.5 strokes per round. Simel returned to his hometown of Greensboro, NC, early in the year to compete in the O’Briant Memorial and tied Olivero for the team’s top finish by firing a two-round score of 148, good for a 12th- place deadlock in the 89-player field. His low round of the year came on the first day of the UAA Championships when he finished with a 71. Ross totaled 20 rounds over nine competitions and concluded the season with a 77.8 stroke average. Ross garnered All-UAA recognition after a ninth-place performance at the conference championship. He was the team’s No. 2 finisher and tied for 16th overall in an 87-player field at the Mary Hardin Baylor Spring Invitational.
Junior Drew Harker turned in some strong performances during the early stages of the season that included a first-place finish out of 61 players at the Rhodes College Fall Classic with a score a 36-hole effort of 146. At Emory’s next tournament, Harker was the Eagles’ No. 2 finisher and 20th out of 81 players at the Greensboro College Invitational with a 147.
PING All-South Region
Rod Olivero one team Guatemala City, Guatemala
Jeremy Evans one team Palm Harbor, FL (The Cambridge School)
All-University Athletic Association
Jeremy Evans First Team Palm Harbor, FL (The Cambridge School)
Sean Madgett First Team Sammamish, WA (Pendleton School/Tulane)
Rodrigo Olivero Second Team Guatemala City, Guatemala
John Ross Second Team N. Barrington, IL (Barrington)
Raffi Simel Second Team Greensboro, NC (Grimsley)
UAA Golfer of the Week
Jeremy Evans March 29, 2007 Palm Harbor, FL (The Cambridge School)
Rod Olivero Oct. 24, 2006 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Rhodes College Fall Classic All-Tournament
Drew Harker Barrington, RI (Barrington)
Jeremy Evans Palm Harbor, FL (The Cambridge School)
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