IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa junior Alex Schaake has been named the Big Ten Men’s Golf Player of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday. Schaake was also named a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten First Team.
Junior Benton Weinberg earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, while senior Aaron DeNucci was the recipient of the Iowa Men’s Golf Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Schaake is the third Hawkeye to earn Big Ten Men’s Golfer of the Year laurels (Brad Klapprott, 1992 and Vince India, 2011). Schaake, Klapprott, and India additionally won the Les Bolstad Award, which is awarded to the player with the lowest stroke average during the season, the same year as being named Player of the Year. Schaake led the conference with a 70.81 stroke average in 2018-19.
Schaake is the 18th Hawkeye to earn first-team all-conference accolades and the first since his brother, Carson Schaake, in 2015. Furthermore, he is Iowa’s first unanimous honoree since Steven Ihm in 2014.
“Alex is a very deserving recipient of this award,” said head coach Tyler Stith. “I am proud of him. It represents his yearling consistency of strong performances.”
The Omaha, Nebraska, native led Iowa with five top-10 finishes, including earning co-medalist honors at the Hawkeye Invitational (April 20-21) with a school record 54-hole total of 199 (-14). Schaake closed the regular season as the 43rd-ranked golfer in the country by Golfweek/Sagarin. He posted a 203 (-10) at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Classic (Oct. 7-8) for the second best 54-hole score in program history. Schaake carded a first-round score of 63 (-8) -- lowest round on the team this season -- at the Hawkeye Invitational for the second lowest 18-hole total in school history. The junior led Iowa with 16 rounds at or below par this season.
Weinberg was second on the team in scoring average (71.85), while registering 10 rounds at or below par. The Potomac, Maryland, native posted a career best 18-hole score of 64 (-7), 54-hole score of 204 (-9), and finish (6th) at the Hawkeye Invitational. He recorded the best individual finish for the Hawkeyes at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-23), tying for ninth with a three-round total of 215 (+5).
DeNucci competed in three tournaments as an individual with his best finish coming at the Golfweek Conference Challenge (T-22nd), a career best. His first round score of 69 (-3) at the Cedar Rapids Country Club set a personal best 18-hole score.
Teams selected for NCAA Regionals will be announced on Wednesday, May 1, at 8 p.m. (CT) on the Golf Channel.
2019 BIG TEN MEN’S GOLF ALL-CONFERENCE AND INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Big Ten Player of the Year: Alex Schaake, Iowa
Big Ten Freshman of the Year: David Nyfjall, Northwestern
Big Ten Coach of the Year: Mike Small, Illinois
ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS
First Team
MICHAEL FEAGLES, ILLINOIS
ALEX SCHAAKE, IOWA
JAMES PIOT, MICHIGAN STATE
Donnie Trosper, Michigan State
David Nyfjall, Northwestern
Daniel Wetterich, Ohio State
Timmy Hildebrand, Purdue
Jordan Hahn, Wisconsin
Second Team
Bryan Baumgarten, Illinois
Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Illinois
Giovanni Tadiotto, Illinois
Benton Weinberg, Iowa
Peter Knade, Maryland
Angus Flanagan, Minnesota
Will Grimmer, Ohio State
Chris Gotterup, Rutgers
Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Luke Armbrust, Illinois
Jake Brown, Indiana
Aaron DeNucci, Iowa
Tim Colanta, Maryland
Henry Spring, Michigan
Andrew Walker, Michigan State
Campbell Fisher, Minnesota
Dylan McCabe, Nebraska
Ryan Lumsden, Northwestern
Caleb Ramirez, Ohio State
Alec Bard, Penn State
Jarle Volden, Purdue
Matt Mourin, Rutgers
Brett Robinson, Wisconsin