2018-19 SRIXON/CLEVELAND GOLF GCAA ALL-AMERICA SCHOLARS

MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg University men's golfers Brett Buckingham (JR, Glenwood, Minn./Minnewaska Area HS), Harrison Cooper (JR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) and Dakota Krech (SR, Blaine, Minn./Blaine HS) were named to the 2018-19 Srxion/Cleveland Golf Division III All-America Scholar Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America, it was announced on Wednesday.

It's the second straight year that Krech has earned the GCAA honor, while it's the first honor for Buckingham and Cooper. Krech is a finance major with a 3.5681 grade-point average, while Buckingham is a marketing and management major with a 4.000 GPA, and Cooper is a finance and economics major with a 3.8843 GPA.

In order to qualify for GCAA Division III All-America Scholar honors, individuals must be juniors or seniors having competed at least three seasons in college. Division III golfers must have competed in 50 percent or more of a team's competitive rounds during the current season, have a season stroke average of 79.0 or better and have a minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA. Augsburg has now had 12 men's golfers earn GCAA Division III All-America Scholar recognition since the 2006-07 season.

The honor caps an outstanding college golf career for Krech, who finished this season second on the team in scoring with a career-best 75.8 season stroke average -- tied for 11th-best among Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference golfers -- and a .719 (508-199) winning percentage, claiming four top-10 meet finishes and a medalist honor at a dual meet with Bethel on April 19. He finished in a tie for sixth place at the 2018 MIAC Championships to earn MIAC All-Championship Team and All-MIAC honors for the first time.

Krech recorded scores in the 70s or better in 16 of his 21 competitive rounds this season, including 13 rounds of 75 or better. He shot a 69 in the final round of the MIAC Championships, tying a team season-best. Krech finished his 89-round collegiate career with a 76.7 stroke average and .685 (2,095-962) win-loss percentage.

Buckingham had another team-leading season on the links, earning All-MIAC honors for the third straight year and GCAA Division III PING All-Central Region honors for the second straight year in 2018-19. Buckingham led the Auggies in scoring again in 2018-19, recording a 74.3 stroke average -- the third-best single-season average for an Auggie during the past decade -- and an .855 (641-109) win-loss percentage. He had four top-five and seven top-10 finishes in his 10 events this season, including a fourth-place finish at the 2018 MIAC Championships to earn MIAC All-Championship Team (top-10) honors for the second year in a row. Buckingham recorded the fourth-best stroke average this season in the MIAC.

Buckingham finished with a score in the 70s in 20 of his 22 competitive rounds this season, including 17 rounds of 75 or better. In 66 rounds in his three seasons, Buckingham has a 74.8 career stroke average and .831 (1,891-385) win-loss percentage. His career stroke average is the best for an Auggie in at least the past 10 years.

For the second year in a row, Buckingham also earned the MIAC Elite 22 Award for academic excellence in men's golf, given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA among all-conference honorees at a conference championship in individual sports. 

Cooper had another strong campaign for the Auggies, finishing third on the team with a 75.9 stroke average -- 13th-best among MIAC golfers -- and .699 (494-213) win-loss percentage. He had top-10 finishes in four of his 10 events, including a win in the season-ending dual meet against Northwestern-St. Paul. He finished in a tie for 15th place at the 2018 MIAC Championships.

Cooper recorded scores in the 70s in 17 of his 21 competitive rounds this season, including 11 rounds of 75 or better. In his 65 competitive rounds in his career, Cooper has a 76.1 stroke average and .691 (1,509-675) win-loss percentage.

The individual academic honor follows the news that Augsburg's men's golf team earned the GCAA's Division III Academic National Champion Team Award in the 2018-19 school year, recording the highest cumulative team GPA among NCAA Division III men's golf teams with a 3.82 team GPA. All seven Augsburg men's golfers recorded cumulative GPAs of 3.50 or above at the end of the 2018-19 school year, and six of the seven earned Academic All-MIAC honors. Buckingham, Cooper and Krech have earned Academic All-MIAC honors each of the last two seasons.

Under coach Eric Rolland, Augsburg's men's golf team finished the 2018-19 season with a 303.8 team stroke average, fourth-best among MIAC teams. The Auggies had an .555 (81-65) win-loss percentage, and tied for second place at the 2018 MIAC Championships.