Three Georgia Bulldogs Earn All-SEC recognition
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three Bulldogs were represented on the annual All-Southeastern Conference Awards as graduate Ben van Wyk secured a spot on the All-SEC Second Team, Camden Smith on the All-SEC Freshman Team and senior Caleb Manuel earned an All-SEC Community Service Team recognition, the league office announced on Friday morning.
“I’m really excited for Ben to earn the All-SEC recognition,” said head coach Chris Haack. “He has really put in the work to improve his game and done a phenomenal job as a leader on the team during his final season of collegiate golf. Camden being recognized on the All-Freshman Team is a great sign of the year he’s had and the future he has over the next three years. We’re also incredibly proud of Caleb for his work in the community and representing what it means to be a Georgia Bulldog.”
This marks van Wyk’s first All-SEC award and is now the 46th Bulldog across 50 total selections on the All-SEC Second Team. All told, Georgia has 109 recognitions across the first and second all-conference teams in program history. Similarly, Smith is now the eighth Georgia player to earn a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team and the fourth Bulldog represented on the team in the last seven seasons.
Van Wyk is coming off his best collegiate season as the senior finished the year with a 70.2 stroke average, which ranks as the sixth-best single-season average in program history. The 2024 Dick Copas Award winner earned five top-10 finishes during the 2023-24 campaign and a team-best 14 rounds in the 60s. A graduate student, van Wyk’s best result came in the final event of the regular season at the Calusa Cup, placing tied for second with a five-under, 211 total.
In his first collegiate season, Smith earned a pair of top-10 results with a t-6th finish at the Linger Longer Invitational and in t-7th during stroke play of the SEC Championships. In the team’s most recent event during the conference title in St Simon’s Island, Smith led the individual standings after the first round at five-under 65 and finished tied for the second most birdies in the field with 15.
Manuel earned his first Community Service Team recognition following the 2023-24 season. The senior has previously worked with Team Impact, assisted with the Bulldog Open in 2022 and 2023 as well as volunteered at the Mt. Ararat Golf Camp, supporting kids with their technique and golf management. Manuel’s best finish came during stroke play of the SEC Championships where he finished tied for seventh with Smith after shooting four-under, 206.
The team will begin its quest for its third national championship on May 13-15 at the NCAA Austin Regional. The Bulldogs will be the No. 4 seed for the Regional, which will be held at the University of Texas Golf Club. The top five teams from each of the five regionals will advance to the 30-team NCAA Championships at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. from May 24-29. The lowest-scoring individual whose team does not advance will also earn a spot in the NCAA Championships to compete individually.
