MIAC ELITE 22 AWARD - 2018-19 FALL SPORTS

MINNEAPOLIS -- For the second straight year, Augsburg University's Brett Buckingham (JR, Glenwood, Minn./Minnewaska Area HS) was named as the winner of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Elite 22 award for academic excellence in men's golf, it was announced on Monday.

The MIAC's Elite 22 Award, modeled after the NCAA's Elite 90 honor, is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average among competing teams at MIAC playoff championship games in team sports, and among all-conference honorees at MIAC championships in individual sports. According to the MIAC, student-athletes must have achieved sophomore status and be in at least their second seasons with their current team.

Buckingham is a marketing and management major at Augsburg with a 4.00 grade-point average.

Last month, Buckingham finished fourth at the MIAC Championships, earning his second straight MIAC All-Championships (top-10) honor and his third straight All-MIAC honor. He finished with a 54-hole total of 1-over-par 217 at the league meet. In 2017, Buckingham became the fifth Auggie in school history to win the MIAC championship in men's golf.

This fall, Buckingham has a 73.6 stroke average and .880 (405-55) win-loss percentage, both team-bests. His stroke average currently stands third-best among MIAC men's golfers. He has recorded top-10 finishes in three of his six events so far this season. In his three seasons at Augsburg, Buckingham has a 74.6 career stroke average and .831 (1609-328) win-loss percentage in 59 competitive rounds, with top-10 finishes in 14 of his 27 collegiate events.

As a team, Augsburg finished in a tie for second place at the 2018 MIAC Championships with a school-record 54-hole total of 886. It was the third time in the last four years that Augsburg has finished in the top three at the conference meet. Augsburg recorded a 302.1 team stroke average in the fall half of the season.

The MIAC's Elite 22 award was established in the 2013-14 school year. Augsburg has now had six Elite 22 honorees. In addition to Buckingham's two honors, Brett Bukowski earned the men's hockey honor in 2017-18, Chris Nuth (men's hockey) and Megan Johnson (women's hockey) earned the honor in the 2016-17 school year, and Lauren Rice earned the honor for women's indoor track and field in 2013-14.