NORMAN, Okla. – Four Little Rock golfers have been named 2020-21 Division I All-American Scholars, presented by Srixon/Cleveland Golf.
Anton Albers,
Nico Horder,
Magnus Lomholt and
Marcel Rauch all earned the national distinction, announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
The four honorees in one season is the most for Little Rock since the 2009-10 season, upping the total number of Trojans recognized during that span to 21. It is the second recognition for both Albers and Rauch, as they join Danial Durisic, Justin Warren, Matias Calderon, Linus Gillgren and Felipe Velasquez as two-time honorees.
To be eligible for Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar status, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior academically at the Division I level. In addition, they participate in 40 percent of his team's competitive rounds, have a stroke-average under 76.0 and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university.
Albers capped one of the top seasons in program history, leading the team with a 72.66 scoring average, 12 rounds of par-or-better (including a pair of 64s to tie the program record), five top-10 individual finishes and a pair of tournament victories. He was named a first team All-Sun Belt and PING All-Central Region selection, ending the regular season as the number two ranked golfer in the Sun Belt.
Horder came on strong in his first season as a Trojan, notching a 74.90 scoring average while competing in all 10 events. He finished the year with five rounds of par-or-better, including a career-best 67, and three top-20 individual finishes.
Lomholt competed in nine events for Little Rock and finished the year third on the team with a 74.37 scoring average. He boasted seven par-or-better rounds, the second-most among the squad, and four top-20 individual finishes, highlighted by fourth-place showing at the Little Rock Invitational.
Rauch competed in five events for Little Rock in 2020-21, notching a scoring average of 75.86 with a pair of par-or-better rounds. He shot a career-best 67 at the Little Rock Invitational, tying for seventh in the individual standings while competing for the Trojans in all three postseason tournaments.
The individual academic honors come on the heels of Little Rock being one of 42 programs nationally to earn GCAA President's Special Recognition distinction for finishing the year with a team GPA of 3.50 or higher. The Trojans were the lone Sun Belt team recognized and were just one of two teams that qualified for the NCAA Championship on the list.
2020-21 was a year for the record books for Little Rock as the Trojans ended the year ranked 43rd in the GolfStat national rankings, the highest in program history. The Trojans ended the year with five top-five team finishes in nine events, including capturing the 2020 Little Rock Golf Classic in record-setting fashion.
Little Rock carried that momentum into the postseason, finishing second at the Sun Belt Championship both in stroke play and match play, qualifying for NCAA Regionals for the third time in program history. The Trojans would use a dramatic comeback on the 18th hole to secure a fifth-place showing in Stillwater, earning the program' first-ever spot in the NCAA Championship.
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