Van Der Walt Named SLC Player Of The Year

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MEN’S GOLF: Dawie Van Der Walt named SLC player of the year; Lamar places

Daucy Crizer-Lamar University SID

FRISCO – After helping Lamar University win its second straight Southland

Conference Championship last week, junior Dawie Van Der Walt was unanimously

named Southland Conference Player of the Year and all five Cardinal golfers

were named to All-SLC teams Thursday, as voted on by the league’s head

coaches and sports information directors.

Van Der Walt, who became the 16th Lamar golfer to win medalist honors at

the SLC Championship, becomes the second straight and sixth all-time Lamar

golfer to earn SLC player of the year honors. Teammate Casey Clendenon

earned the honor last season and PGA Tour member Chris Stroud is the only

four-time player of the year recipient (2001-04) in conference history.

A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Van Der Walt posted top 10 finishes in

all seven tournaments this spring and led the SLC with 10 for the season.

His 54-hole score of 13-under 203 at the SLC championship was the

second-best round since the tournament’s inception in 1964, falling one

stroke short of former Lamar golfer John Reigger, who posted a 202 in 1985.

Van Der Walt leads the SLC with a 70.44 season scoring average over 34

rounds, including a sparkling 69.68 scoring average over 22 rounds this

spring. He has shot par or better in 25 of 34 rounds, including 15 rounds in

the 60s.

Joining Van Der Walt on the first-team were teammates Clendenon, Oliver

Bekker and Justin Harding, and Aaron O’Callaghan of Southeastern Louisiana.

Clendenon, a junior from Katy, posted five top 10 finishes this season and

has the team’s third best scoring average at 72.22 over 37 rounds. He

finished third at the SLC championship at 7-under 209. He also earned

first-team honors last season.

Bekker, a sophomore from Stellenbosch, South Africa, placed second at the

SLC championship with a 10-under 206. He has six top 10 finishes this season

and his 72.16 season scoring average over 37 rounds is second on the team.

He was named first-team All-SLC and SLC freshman of the year last season.

Harding, a sophomore from Cape Town, South Africa, won a league-best three

tournament titles this season – Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic, Border

Olympics and UALR/First Tee Collegiate Classic. He has a 72.54 season

scoring average over 37 rounds. He was a third-team All-SLC selection last

year.

Dusty Smith, a senior from The Woodlands, was an All-SLC second team

selection. It marks the third straight year that Smith has earned All-SLC

accolades. Smith, who tied for fourth at the SLC championship, has a 73.62

season scoring average over 37 rounds.

Joining Smith on the second team is Matthew Carvell, Hugo Leon and Peter

O’Keefe of SE Louisiana, and Robert Gwin of Sam Houston State. The All-SLC

third team was comprised of Thomas Kearney and Kyle Collins of Texas-San

Antonio, Sigmundur Masson of McNeese State, James Taverner (SLU), and Zach

Reeves of Texas-Arlington.

Beau Willis of Sam Houston State was named SLC freshman of the year and

Lamar’s Brian White earned SLC coach of the year honors after guiding the

Cardinals to their all-time best 21st SLC title.

Lamar will likely play at the NCAA Central Regional May 17-19 at Rich

Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. The 27-team fields for each of the three

NCAA Regional sites will be announced on Monday, May 7. The Cardinals placed

fifth at last year’s NCAA Central Regional and tied for ninth place at the

NCAA Championship.

2007 All-Southland Conference Men’s Golf Teams

First Team

Dawie Van Der Walt, So., Lamar University

Casey Clendenon, Jr., Lamar University

Oliver Bekker, So., Lamar University

Aaron O’Callaghan, So., Southeastern Louisiana

Justin Harding, So., Lamar University

Second Team

Matthew Carvell, So., Southeastern Louisiana

Robert Gwin, Sr., Sam Houston State

Hugo Leon, Sr., Southeastern Louisiana

Peter O’Keefe, Jr., Southeastern Louisiana

Dusty Smith, Sr., Lamar University

Third Team

Thomas Kearney, Jr., Texas-San Antonio

Sigmundur Masson, Jr., McNeese State

James Taverner, So., Southeastern Louisiana

Zack Reeves, Jr., Texas-Arlington

Kyle Collins, So., Texas-San Antonio

Player of the Year: Dawie Van Der Walt, Lamar University

Freshman of the Year: Beau Willis, Sam Houston State

Coach of the Year: Brian White, Lamar University