Clayton State's Kelly Named GCAA All-America
MORROW, Ga. – Clayton College & State University juniors Adam Short and Dave Kelly were each named to the 1999 NCAA Division II All-America Teams as voted on by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
“I am extremely happy for these two young men,” said Clayton State head coach Bob Hill. “They both had exceptional years for us, and they are well-deserving of this honor. A large part of our success this season was due in part to what these two did, both on and off the golf course.”
Short, a Second Team selection, finished the 1999 season with a school-record 7-under 65 in the final round of the NCAA Division II National Championships to place fifth overall. The Vineland, Ontario, native led the Lakers with four top-five finishes, including medalist honors at the University of North Alabama Spring Classic in March. He recorded scores of par-or-better in 10 of his 31 rounds during the season, finishing with a 74.42 stroke average, second lowest in school history.
Kelly, a Third Team selection, finished with a school-record 74.20 stroke average despite missing two tournaments with a broken finger. An All-Peach Belt Athletic Conference and GCAA All-District 3 South selection, Kelly led the Lakers to their first-ever team title by winning medalist honors at the Richard Rendleman Invitational in November. The Ste-Marie, Quebec, native also shared medalist honors at the NCAA Division II South Regional in early May with the help of a 3-under 69 in the second round, the only sub-70 score of the tournament.
The GCAA selected three eight-member All-America teams and a 24-member honorable mention squad. Columbus State’s Jaco Rall earned Player of the Year Honors, while Chad Tate of Ferris State was named Freshman of the Year. Also released on Tuesday was the final MasterCard Collegiate Golf Rankings.
Clayton State, which finished the year with a seventh-place showing at the NCAA Division II National Championships, climbed from the midst of the unranked all the way to No. 11, marking the highest final ranking by any team in school history. Among the teams ranked in the top 10, the Lakers defeated four of them at the national tournament.
