LITTLE ROCK - UALR seniors
Keith Becker,
Linus Gillgren and
Felipe Velazquez have been named to the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar team by the Golf Coaches of Association of America. A total of 138 Division I players were recognized by the GCAA, which honors juniors and seniors who have completed two full years at the collegiate level, compete in 70 percent of their team's events, have a stroke average under 76.0 and maintain a minimum 3.2 grade point average.
Gillgren and Becker were both Capital One Academic All-District VI First Team selections this season. A two-time All-Sun Belt Conference honoree, Gillgren had four top-10 finishes during the 2010-11 season and ranked 14th in the SBC with a team-best 73.54 scoring average. A senior from Onsala, Sweden, Gillgren enjoyed his best showing of the year at the Mizzou Intercollegiate, where he tied for fourth place after firing a 68 in the final round.
As a junior, Gillgren received Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar honors from the GCAA for the first time and tied for third place at the 2010 SBC Championships. Gillgren received a degree in psychology in May and graduated with a 3.83 cumulative grade point average.
Becker played in nine events as a senior, averaging a career-best 74.45 strokes per round. A native of San Antonio, Texas, he capped off his playing career by tying for eighth place at the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Championships with a one-under par 143 total. His best finish of the season came at the UALR/First Tee Collegiate Classic, where he placed third at one-over par 217.
Becker was named to the Sun Belt Commissioner's List each season of his collegiate career for achieving a GPA of 3.5 or above. He graduated with a double major in finance and economics and a cumulative grade point average of 3.90, and currently has a perfect 4.0 GPA as he pursues a master's degree in business administration.
Velazquez ranked second on the team with a career-low 74.12 scoring average as a senior. A native of Caracas, Venezuela, he had three top-10 finishes during the 2010-11 season with a season-best eighth-place showing at the ASU Red Wolf Intercollegiate. Velazquez tied for 10th place at the Mizzou Intercollegiate and the Purple and Red Invitational, where he carded a season-low two-under par 214.
Velazquez graduated in May with a degree in economics and a 3.76 cumulative grade point average. He received Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar honors for the first time in 2009-10, and was named to the Sun Belt Commissioner's List each season of his UALR career for achieving a GPA of 3.5 or above.
