Wildcats Land Three on Academic All-Big 12 First Team
Apr 27, 2020 | Men's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. - K-State seniors Ben Fernandez and Jake Eklund added another Academic All-Big 12 honor and freshman Ryan Bender his first as the league named all three to the First Team on Monday.
Fernandez, a redshirt who walked in graduation last May, earned his fourth straight honor, while Eklund earned his third recognition. Bender earned recognition in his first year of eligibility after redshirting last season.
"We are very proud of Ben, Jake and Ryan," K-State head coach Grant Robbins said. "They do an excellent job, both on the course and in the classroom and we are happy to see them get some well-deserved recognition for their efforts.
"I also want to thank Bill Banks and our academic support staff for all they do for our student athletes. They do such a phenomenal job and the academic success we've had the last few years is a testament to all the work they do for our program."
The conference, which announced 45 men's and 41 women's honorees, does not recognize freshmen or transfers for league academic honors and the First Team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA. Due to the interrupted playing season, this year's playing percentage requirements were waived. Additionally the K-State women's team had six honorees.
Led by Eklund on the course, the Wildcats started to rally after a sluggish start to the year, climbing 42 spots in the rankings before the season was ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. K-State finished in fifth as a team at the Colleton River Collegiate, a season-best behind Eklund's runner-up finish - the second of two top-10 finishes for the senior
In the Fall, K-State defeated then-top-5 Oklahoma, 4-2, at the Big 12 Match Play Championship in addition to defeating Baylor, 4.5-1.5, and posting ties against Kansas and Texas.
K-State signed two golfers – Cooper Schultz (Andover, Kan.), the 2019 Kansas Junior Amateur and Luke O'Neill (Connemara, Ireland) one of the top amateur golfers under the age of 18 in Europe – during the fall signing period to join a mix of returning young and experienced players.
Players Mentioned
