Troy University Athletics
Jared Bettcher Named First Team All-Sun Belt
5/1/2014 9:05:00 AM | Golf (M)
NEW ORLEANS – Troy freshman Jared Bettcher was named to the Sun Belt All-Conference First Team, the league office announced Thursday morning.
"I'm proud of Jared for this accomplishment," head coach Matt Terry said. "Since we split the all-conference into two teams, Jared is our first player to be named to the first team. I'm extremely proud of the resume that he was able to put together for the entire season. He had zero rounds in the 80s and was one of the top players in our conference, which tells you a lot about who he is."
Bettcher, a freshman from Auburn, Ala., however was not named the league's Freshman of the Year despite being the only freshman on the All-Sun Belt First Team. Bettcher is expected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship field, which will be announced Monday morning.
"I'm disappointed that Jared did not receive an award that he earned," Terry said. "I felt like his resume spoke for itself all year long and he did it against a tough schedule. The good news is that he is just a freshman and will have many more events to continue to build on this outstanding season."
The rookie ranks third in the Sun Belt in the latest Golf Stat comparative rankings and is ranked 153rd nationally by Golf Stat. Bettcher led Troy with a 73.09 stroke average and turned in a pair of top-seven finishes at the Tiger Invitational (T5) and the Reunion Intercollegiate (T7).
"I'm thankful for earning the First Team All-Sun Belt honor," Bettcher said. "I played my best this season and I'm proud of what I accomplished as a freshman. I had some tournaments where I made mistakes and look forward to working this summer to be even stronger next year."
Bettcher has a hole-in-one on his resume this season and shot a 66 at the Tiger Invitational; the 66 tied the Troy record for the lowest opening-round score and was the second-lowest round in school history.
The Sun Belt's top-ranked player for the final three weeks of the season leading into the league championship, Bettcher lost out to Louisiana-Lafayette's Fernando Cruz Valle for the league's top freshman honors.
Bettcher ranks seven spots ahead of Cruz Valle in the league head-to-head rankings, ranks 211 spots ahead of Cruz Valle in the national rankings and holds a 2-1 head-to-head record with a 6-stroke advantage against the Cajun golfer. Additionally, Bettcher was a first team All-Sun Belt selection while Cruz Valle was a second team selection.
Sun Belt Men's Golf First Team All-Conference
J.J. Grey, Georgia State
Davin White, Georgia State
Haraldur Magnus, UL Lafayette
Michael Garretson, South Alabama
Tyler Klava, South Alabama
Jared Bettcher, Troy
Sun Belt Men's Golf Second Team All-Conference
Matias Calderon, UALR
Damon Stephenson, Georgia State
Fernando Cruz Valle, UL Lafayette
Mason Seaborn, UL Monroe
Lane Hulse, South Alabama
Stuart Smallwood, Texas State
Sun Belt Men's Golfer of the Year
Michael Garretson, South Alabama
Sun Belt Men's Freshman of the Year
Fernando Cruz Valle, UL Lafayette
Sun Belt Men's Golf Coach of the Year
Joe Inman, Georgia State
"I'm proud of Jared for this accomplishment," head coach Matt Terry said. "Since we split the all-conference into two teams, Jared is our first player to be named to the first team. I'm extremely proud of the resume that he was able to put together for the entire season. He had zero rounds in the 80s and was one of the top players in our conference, which tells you a lot about who he is."
Bettcher, a freshman from Auburn, Ala., however was not named the league's Freshman of the Year despite being the only freshman on the All-Sun Belt First Team. Bettcher is expected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship field, which will be announced Monday morning.
"I'm disappointed that Jared did not receive an award that he earned," Terry said. "I felt like his resume spoke for itself all year long and he did it against a tough schedule. The good news is that he is just a freshman and will have many more events to continue to build on this outstanding season."
The rookie ranks third in the Sun Belt in the latest Golf Stat comparative rankings and is ranked 153rd nationally by Golf Stat. Bettcher led Troy with a 73.09 stroke average and turned in a pair of top-seven finishes at the Tiger Invitational (T5) and the Reunion Intercollegiate (T7).
"I'm thankful for earning the First Team All-Sun Belt honor," Bettcher said. "I played my best this season and I'm proud of what I accomplished as a freshman. I had some tournaments where I made mistakes and look forward to working this summer to be even stronger next year."
Bettcher has a hole-in-one on his resume this season and shot a 66 at the Tiger Invitational; the 66 tied the Troy record for the lowest opening-round score and was the second-lowest round in school history.
The Sun Belt's top-ranked player for the final three weeks of the season leading into the league championship, Bettcher lost out to Louisiana-Lafayette's Fernando Cruz Valle for the league's top freshman honors.
Bettcher ranks seven spots ahead of Cruz Valle in the league head-to-head rankings, ranks 211 spots ahead of Cruz Valle in the national rankings and holds a 2-1 head-to-head record with a 6-stroke advantage against the Cajun golfer. Additionally, Bettcher was a first team All-Sun Belt selection while Cruz Valle was a second team selection.
Sun Belt Men's Golf First Team All-Conference
J.J. Grey, Georgia State
Davin White, Georgia State
Haraldur Magnus, UL Lafayette
Michael Garretson, South Alabama
Tyler Klava, South Alabama
Jared Bettcher, Troy
Sun Belt Men's Golf Second Team All-Conference
Matias Calderon, UALR
Damon Stephenson, Georgia State
Fernando Cruz Valle, UL Lafayette
Mason Seaborn, UL Monroe
Lane Hulse, South Alabama
Stuart Smallwood, Texas State
Sun Belt Men's Golfer of the Year
Michael Garretson, South Alabama
Sun Belt Men's Freshman of the Year
Fernando Cruz Valle, UL Lafayette
Sun Belt Men's Golf Coach of the Year
Joe Inman, Georgia State
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