Golf Places Four on All-ODAC Teams

Greensboro, NC (4/25/07) -- Guilford College placed five student-athletes on the 2006-07 All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) golf teams Wednesday, including Player of the Year Joseph Poplin and Rookie of the Year Peter Latimer. Senior Colin Clark joined them as a first-team honoree while sophomore Burton Wood won second-team laurels. Freshman Brian Creghan earned honorable mention recognition and head coach Jack Jensen was named the ODAC Coach of the Year. The league's head coaches choose the all-conference squads. Guilford has had 46 All-ODAC golf selections since joining the league in 1991-92.

 

Poplin received his first Player of the Year honor and has an ODAC-leading 72.09 stroke average in 22 rounds. He twice won ODAC Golfer of the Week honors. His best performance to date has been at the Marine Federal Credit Union Intercollegiate in Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he placed third and set school-records for 18 (62) and 36 (133) holes. Poplin tied for seventh at the Sea Trail Intercollegiate that featured 10 Division I teams. He also placed second in three other tournaments, including the ODAC Championships.

Latimer helped his Rookie of the Year credentials by finishing first in the Emory Spring Invitational, where he shot a two-day 145 and took medalist honors on the third hole of a three-student playoff. The effort yielded one of his two ODAC Golfer of the Week honors. His 75.05 stroke average in 22 rounds ranks third on the team and among the ODAC's top 10. Latimer finished seventh in this year's ODAC Championships.

Clark, the 2007 ODAC Tournament champion, earned First Team All-ODAC laurels for the fourth straight season, a Guilford first. To earn the ODAC title, Clark shot a three-day 211 in Amherst, Va., April 21-23. He tied for third in the Tom O'Briant Memorial with a two-day 145 and finished sixth in the Mid-Pines/Pfeiffer Invitational, shooting 76-67-146. Through rounds of April 19, he ranked fifth in the ODAC and stands second on the team with a 74.15 average in 20 rounds.

Wood took first place in the spring opener at the Mid-Pines/Pfeiffer Invitational, shooting a two-day 143. For his effort, he received ODAC Golfer of the Week recognition. Wood placed 20th place or higher in four tournaments, including 12th in the ODAC Championships with a three-day 229. He had the league's eighth-best stroke average through April 19. His 75.3 average ranks fourth on the team.

Creghan earned honorable mention after ranking fifth on the team with a 77.39 stroke average in 18 rounds. His best performance was at the Oglethorpe Invitational where he tied for 10th with a two-day 147. As of April 19, he stands 18th among all ODAC golfers.

Jensen won his league-record eighth ODAC Coach of the Year award after leading Guilford to its record-tying 10th ODAC Tournament title and coaching the 2007 Player and Rookie of the Year. The Quakers are ranked second in the April 25 Golf World/Nike Division III Coaches' Poll and Golfstat.com Rankings. Guilford has placed among the top five in seven of 10 tournaments this year and will play in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament May 15-18 in Indiana.

In his 31st golf season at Guilford, Jensen has had 25 teams play in the national tournament, including the 2002 and 2005 units that won the NCAA Division III title and the 1989 team that won the NAIA crown. He has also been named the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Division III District 3 Coach of the Year twice. Under Jensen's direction, 23 Guilford students have received 35 performance and 11 academic All-America honors.