Lock Haven, Pa. - NCAA individual champion Gavin Smith of IUP has been named the PSAC men’s golf Player of the Year while California’s Simone DeSouza has been named the PSAC women’s golf Player of the Year. Clarion’s Ross Pringle is the men’s golf Freshman of the Year while California makes it a clean sweep for the women’s awards as Dianne Luke is the women’s Freshman of the Year. The quartet make up this year’s PSAC golf postseason award winners. Additionally, IUP coach Fred Joseph has been named the PSAC Men's Golf Coach of the Year while California (Pa.) coach MerriLyn Gibbs is the PSAC Women's Golf Coach of the Year.
Smith (Stirling, Scotland) captured two individual titles this season, including his win at the NCAA championships, and had seven top ten finishes. He finished the year with a scoring average of 73.80. In addition to his NCAA individual medal, he also won the individual title at the Guy W. Kuhn Invitational held in Meadville, Pa. back in September. He also tied for first in regulation at the Vulcan Invitational in October but lost in a playoff. He finished in the top ten in all six of his fall tournaments and of those six top ten’s, four of those were top three finishes, including two second places. He had just one top ten finish in the spring season before peaking at the end of the year as he helped the Crimson Hawks win the NCAA regional title with a tie for 17th place at the regional tournament before he won the national championship by draining a 20-foot birdie on the first playoff hole at the NCAA championships. As a team, IUP won five tournaments on the year, including the PSAC and NCAA regional championship, and finished 12th at NCAAs. This year marks the second straight PSAC Golfer of the Year award for Smith, who also earned the award last year after also earning the league’s Rookie of the Year award two years ago.
DeSouza (Trujilo, Peru) won three individual titles this year and had 10 top ten finishes in all to go along with a 76.3 scoring average. She was the individual medalist at the PSAC championships back in October and helped lead the Vulcans to five tournament titles, including the program’s first ever PSAC title. She also won individual medals at the Grand Valley State Laker Fall Classic and at the Cal State San Marcos Invitational. She had five top five finishes out of her six fall tournaments, including two first and two second place finishes, and also had five top five finishes in the spring seasons, including a third place finish at the NCAA regionals and the fourth place at the NCAA championships. She helped lead the Vulcans to five team titles over the course of the season.
Pringle (Titusville, Pa.) had an outstanding year to help lead the Clarion men’s team as he had compiled eight top ten finishes to go along with a 75.01 scoring average. He had three top ten finishes during the fall season, including a tie for sixth place at the PSAC championships as Clarion finished second as a team. His best finish of the year was a third place showing at both the St. James Plantation Invitational to open the spring season and at the St. Vincent Invitational in April. He finished the year strong as he had five top ten’s out of six starts during the spring season. Of those five during the spring, three were top five finishes and he also tied for 10th place at the NCAA regional. Pringle is the second straight Clarion golfer to win the PSAC Freshman of the Year honor, following his teammate Jared Schmader, who was the PSAC Freshman of the Year last year.
Luke (Mirisarawak, Malaysia) had six top ten finishes and a 80.3 scoring average. Of those six top ten finishes, three were top five finishes, including her best finish of the year, a third place showing at the PSAC championships in October. She placed in the top ten in four out of her six fall tournaments. She also finished in a tie for tenth place at the NCAA regional championship and along with DeSouza, were Cal’s two individual representatives at the NCAA championships. She tied for 25th at NCAAs.
Joseph, who just completed his 16th year as head coach at IUP, is the PSAC Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career. He also earned the award in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007. He guided the Crimson Hawks to their second straight PSAC championship in October and also to an NCAA regional title and to a 12th place finish at the NCAA championships, matching the Crimson Hawks' best-ever finish under him in his 16 years as head coach.
Gibbs, who just completed her fourth year as the head coach, guided the Vulcans to the first-ever PSAC women's golf championship back in October, as the men's and women's golf championships were contested separately this year for the first time in league history. The Vulcans also finished fourth at the NCAA regional and had two individuals, DeSouza and Luke, qualify for the national championship.
2009 PSAC Golf Awards
Men’s Golfer of the Year
Gavin Smith, IUP
Men’s Freshman of the Year
Ross Pringle, Clarion
Men's Coach of the Year
Fred Joseph, IUP
Women’s Golfer of the Year
Simone DeSouza, California (Pa.)
Women’s Freshman of the Year
Dianne Luke, California (Pa.)
Women's Coach of the Year
MerriLyn Gibbs, California (Pa.)