PROVO -- Three members of the Cougar men's golf team were selected to the Honorable Mention All-American team by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Junior Todd Miller, sophomore Oscar Alvarez and freshman Jake Ellison used a strong showing at the NCAA Golf Championship to earn All-American honors. Alvarez finished No. 17 overall at the championship with Miller close behind at No. 30. Ellison landed at No. 52. Each was nominated to the All-American team for the first time.
The All-American honors are the first for the Cougars since Manuel Merizalde was honored in 2001.
Coach Bruce Brockbank said the honors will help the Cougars build a stronger program and improve on this year's ninth place finish at the NCAA Championship.
"It's a real honor and a big deal for our program to get this level of recognition," Brockbank said.
The honors also mark the first time in five years, the Cougars have placed three golfers on the All-American team.
"I was a bit surprised all three were named to the All-American team," Brockbank said.
But the fact all three are underclassmen and will return next year, bodes well for the Cougar golf team.
Alvarez finished the regular season ranked No. 64 in the nation. His 71.67 stroke average landed him at No. 6 on the Mountain West Conference leader board. He led the Cougars in scoring four times this year, including his season-low of 209 at the Barona Collegiate Cup in the fall. Twice in the spring, Alvarez carded a 210. His solid performances all season earned him All-MWC honors.
Just recently, Alvarez qualified for a spot in the U.S. Open.
With his first All-American honor, Miller is following in the footsteps of his father, Johnny, who earned All-American honors twice at BYU before moving on to a successful PGA career.
Miller finished the season at No. 12 on the conference leader board. He also used his No. 30 finish at the NCAA Championship to catch the attention of the GCAA.
Twice during the year, Miller led the Cougars in scoring.
Georgia Tech transfer Ellison played extremely well in his first season as a Cougar. The freshman led the Cougars in scoring three times. He was also honored as an All-MWC golfer.