DSC's Whaley named conference player of the year, Rickett top coach
Apr. 27—After bringing home the Southern States Athletic Conference championship this week, the Dalton State College men's golf team also collected some individual conference honors.
Roadrunner Jack Whaley was named the SSAC's top freshman and overall golfer, earning both freshman of the year and player of the year. Dalton State head coach Ben Rickett earned the conference's award for coach of the year after guiding Dalton State to its second straight SSAC title and eighth overall.
Whaley earned the conference honors after notching a pair of wins this season and four more top three individual finishes.
Whaley, a freshman from Doncaster, England, was also a part of a first team All-SSAC squad that included all five of the Roadrunners' counting competitors in the SSAC tournament.
Whaley, Steve Kibare, Jarod Edwards, Brock Hoover and Trevor Bassett were all named first team all-conference. Five of the six members were Roadrunners, with William Carey's Alessio Graziani the only outsider. Hoover was the individual SSAC champion. Whaley was also named to the all-freshman team.
Kibare was named to the conference's "Champions of Character" team, and Bassett, Hoover and Tyler Latimer were tabbed to the all-academic team.
The Roadrunners turn their attention to the NAIA Men's Golf National Championship, which this year is held at the Dalton Golf and Country Club and hosted by Dalton State. The competition starts Tuesday, May 21.
