COLORADO SPRINGS -- Three former members of the BYU men’s golf program have been honored by the Mountain West Conference for their accomplishments during their respective tenures at BYU.
Oscar Alvarez (2003-06), Jake Ellison (2004-07) and Daniel Summerhays (2003-07) have been named to the MWC 10th Anniversary Men’s Golf team for their achievements as members of the BYU golf program. The team was selected by a combined panel of media, institutional and conference personnel and online fan poll. In order to be eligible for consideration, candidates must have been an All-Mountain West selection at least once in their career.
Alvarez, a Medellin, Colombia native, earned Honorable Mention All-America honors following his sophomore year and Second Team All-America after his junior year in 2005. He is a three-time First Team All-MWC selection and finished in 7th place individually at the 2005 NCAA Championships, good for a No. 12 individual ranking by Golfstat. Before a stellar career at BYU, he was named the 2000 Golfer of the Year in Colombia.
“Oscar had a charisma about him and was always fun to be around,” said BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank. “He was a real team guy – everything he worked for was to make the team better.”
Ellison, a product of Snow Canyon High School in St. George, is a two-time Honorable Mention All-American and three-time MWC First Team selection. After a stellar junior season in 2006, he was named the MWC Player of the Year. He originally committed to Georgia Tech after four region championships and three individual state championships at Snow Canyon before leaving for a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“He was one of the most talented golfers I’ve coached here,” Brockbank said. “He had a natural ability to strike the ball at the distance it needed and was just an all-around good player. He was quiet and reserved and would do anything we asked of him.”
Summerhays, of Farmington, Utah, got off to a great start in his BYU career by earning the 2003 MWC Freshman of the Year before departing for a two-year mission. Upon his return, he earned Honorable Mention All-America awards to precede a remarkable junior campaign in 2007 in which he was named to the MWC First Team and 1st Team All-America. His 69.95 stroke average that season led the nation and was the only mark below a 70 average, the 7th best mark in NCAA history. He also tied an NCAA record-low round of 60.
On top of golf, Summerhays excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-America honors following his junior season. He chose to forego his senior season at BYU to enter the PGA Tour, and in July of 2007 was the first amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event.
“Daniel is a very determined, motivated and hard-working young man,” Brockbank said. “He excelled on both ends of the spectrum and is on a path to greatness. He was special to our program and is one of those top-of-the-top kind of guys.”